The First Day of the Rest of Our Lives
by iwillalwaysbeyourlight
Summary: The girls have graduated from college and are living together. But how will they handle adulthood when one of them finds out she's pregnant? Epilogue is up! Tune in to find out what happens!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do not own any of the girls or their magical pants. I hope you enjoy the story, and please leave lots of feedback.**

"We did it." Lena sighed contently as she served her three best friends breakfast.

"We did what we never thought we could, we did the impossible!" Tibby said, taking a sip of coffee.

"Hell yeah! We survived four years apart, not spending every waking moment together. Forget the apart part, we graduated from college yesterday!" Bridget chimed in.

"Think about it, this is the first day of the rest of our lives."

After spending four years at separate colleges and seeing each other only on weekends and holidays, the four best friends were elated to be reunited again. They had found a beautiful and spacious apartment to share together. They were happy to have each others support as they stepped into the adult world.

"And we're starting it just as we should be, together" Carmen added. As she looked around the table at her friends, she realized not much had changed since they graduated high school. Lena was still as gorgeous as ever, still shy, sensitive, and caring. And she still loved art more than anything. Lena graduated from college with a degree in Education and Art History so she could share her love of art with kids. Bee was still as blonde, bold, and reckless as she had ever been. Men fell at her feet like she was a goddess, and she loved the attention. Bee played soccer throughout college and loved it as much as she always had, but had decided to take on a different profession. Motivated by her own struggles with her mother's illness and death, Bridget had decided to become a Child Psychologist. Tibby had changed the most of the four, taking on a less bitter and cynical approach to the world in recent years. Even though Tibby loved making films, Bailey had shown her something she loved even more, helping sick kids. Tibby had surprised them all when she announced her decision to become a Pediatric Oncology Nurse. Of course they'd all supported her. As for herself, Carmen was where she'd always thought she'd be when she graduated college, about to begin her career as a journalist at the local news paper.

"Earth to Carmen." Lena said waving her hand in front of her friends face. "Do you want scrambled or fried eggs?"

"Huh? Oh sorry, I was just reflecting. Scrambled please."

"What about you Bee?"

Bridget curled up her lip and waved her hand a Lena "None for me please, I'm feeling a little queasy."

"You okay?" Carmen asked concerned.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine, just had a tiny bit too much fun at that graduation party last night."

Carmen nodded, but still looked concerned. Even though she managed to make pretty good grades, Bee had spent most of her time in college having a bit too much fun.

After breakfast, Bridget blew a long strand of blonde hair out of her face. "So…..umm, what do we do now?"

"Find jobs…..what else?" Tibby said a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Tomorrow" Carmen said smiling, "today, we have fun."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's the second chapter! Hope you enjoy!**

_2 Months Later_

"Well good morning sleeping beauty, so nice of you to join us!" Carmen teased as a sleepy Bridget finally emerged from her bedroom late one Saturday morning.

"Morning." Bridget mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Are you okay Bee?" Lena asked, concern filling her voice.

"Yeah, Lena's right, you don't look so good."

"Thanks Carma," Bridget said sarcastically "but really, I am fine. I'm sure I'm just tired from work or something." Lena nodded and turned her attention back to the paper, even though she wasn't completely convinced that Bridget was okay.

"I like your column Carmen." Lena said, changing the subject.

"Thanks Lenny! I love writing it."

"Who would have thought, our little Carma, an advice columnist?" Bee teased lovingly.

"God knows you've given out enough free advice!"

"I know, now I just get paid for it!"

"How's your job at the hospital Bee?" Bridget had gotten a job at the same children's hospital as Tibby, except Bridget was treating the mind of the child while Tibby treated the body.

"Actually, I love it." She said smiling. "It's not what I thought I wanted to do when I graduated, but now I can't imagine doing anything else. I get to be the play lady, and everyone knows I'm the best at having fun!" Upon graduation, Bridget had planned to work with disturbed and traumatized children who had lost a family member. But in her search for a job, she'd landed upon the position of Child Life Specialist. She worked with sick kids and their families in the hospital to make sure the kids got to be kids. She handled everything from preparing a child for a medical procedure, to play therapy, to helping the siblings of the children who didn't survive.

Carmen smiled, "Amen to that Bee!"

"So Lena, how do you like teac….." Bridget's sentence trailed off and she ran from the kitchen into the bathroom. Lena and Carmen ran after her.

"Oh, Bee…" Lena said as Bridget gagged violently into the toilet. She kneeled next to Bridget and quickly gathered Bee's waist length blonde hair into a ponytail. Carmen got a cold washcloth for Bridget while Lena rubbed her back.

"What's going on with you Bee?"

"I don't know I just haven't been feeling like my…." She got that much out before she began to vomit again.

"I'm home and I'm exhausted, talk to you chica's later." Tibby announced as she entered the spacious apartment. Tibby had just arrived home from the nightshift. "Hello?" She called after she got no answer from her three friends.

"We're in here Tibs." Lena called from the bathroom, a tired Bridget leaning up against her.

"What's going on in here, party in the bathroom?"

"Bridget's sick Tib."

"I see that, Bee, you look like crap." Tibby said, joining them on the tile floor and putting her hand to Bridget's forehead.

"Tibby….." Carmen scolded gently.

Tibby pinched the skin on the back of Bridget's hand. "Ouch!" She protested.

"Looks like you need to work on that bedside manner Tibs."

Tibby rolled her eyes. "I was checking to see if she's dehydrated, and she is. How long have you been throwing up Bee?"

"First time today, but I've been feeling really queasy the last few days so I guess I haven't been drinking like I should."

"Well…" Tibby said gently "you better start or I'll have your ass in the ER hooked up to an IV."

"Yes ma'am." Bridget said, the sparkle returning to her eyes.

"Come on Bee, we'll get you back to bed." Carmen said, helping her to her feet.

"I'll get your some Gatorade." Tibby said, walking to the kitchen.

"Thanks you guys." Bridget sounded grateful for her friends care as Lena tucked her covers around her.

"Better?"

"Much! Thanks Lenny."

"We'll be in the living room if you need anything." Carmen said, patting Bridget's leg and turning to leave.

Tibby walked into the room a moment later. "Here Bee, drink this, _slowly_."

"Thanks." Bridget said taking a drink and then running her fingers around the rim of the glass. "Umm, Tib, can you close the door?"

"Sure." Tibby complied.

"Come sit." Bee patted the bed.

"What's up?" Tibby asked, sitting next to her friend on the bed.

"Well ummm…" Bridget looked down.

"What's wrong Bee? I've never seen you at a loss for words before." Tibby placed her hand on top of Bridget's. She was really starting to get concerned.

"I'm late." Bridget blurted out, a single tear running down her face.

"Oh Bee…." Tibby said, pulling her friend close.

"I kind of got a little tipsy, okay, a lot tipsy at that graduation party, and I kind of slept with Eric." The last part of her sentence came out rushed.

"Oh, I see." Tibby said sympathetically. "Maybe you're not." Bridget looked a Tibby with her big blue eyes, as if to say _'yeah right!'_

"Well…" Tibby said, leaving Bridget's side and fumbling through a drawer. "We will fix this." She said as she pulled the Traveling Pants out of Bridget's drawer.

Bridget rolled her eyes, "Tibby, I hardly think a pair of jeans is going to fix an unplanned pregnancy."

"No, of course they won't." Tibby said, pulling off her brightly colored scrubs and slipping into the jeans. "I'm just going to wear them to buy you a pregnancy test."

"Thanks Tibs, but could you…."

"Not mention it to anyone else until we know for sure? Of course, I'll be back in a few."

"Where are you going to get it Tibs? Wallman's?" Bridget smiled, her voice sounded more relaxed. She felt better having shared her secret with her friend.

"Ha ha, very funny, but as a matter of fact I am. Now drink up Bee." Tibby said before leaving the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys, keep them coming and I'll keep the chapters coming.**

"I'll be back you guys, keep an eye on Bee." Tibby said, rushing out of the apartment.

"Hold it Tibs, what's going on?" Carmen asked, catching Tibby by the arm and bringing her to a halt.

"I'm a woman on a mission, can't talk now."

"Tibby, we're really worried about Bee. What's wrong? Is she okay?" Lena's voice was full of concern, and it killed Tibby to not tell her the truth.

"She's fine. But I think you guys need to talk to Bee herself. Now I really have to go." Tibby said finally leaving the apartment.

"This is killing me Lena. What do you think is wrong?"

"I don't know Carma, but I do think we should give Bee her space. If she wants to tell us something or needs to tell us something, she will." Lena said calmly, sitting down and turning on the TV.

"But what if….."

"Carmen, let it go." Lena knew her friend wouldn't give up guessing. She was like a dog with a bone.

Carmen gasped. "Lena, do you think maybe she's pregnant?"

Lena thought for a minute but then shook her head. "Carmen, if she wants us to know, she'll tell us. We need to respect her privacy."

"Fine!" Carmen said, flopping down on the sofa and letting an exasperated sigh escape from her. She joined Lena in staring at the TV.

"Guys?" Bridget poked her head into the living room.

"Hey Bee, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I was just lonely in my room all by myself. Got any room on the couch for me?"

"Sure." Lena scooted over and patted the seat between her and Carmen. Bee sat down between them.

Lena felt an overwhelming need to mother Bridget. "Hey Bee, I love you."

Hearing that was enough for Bridget and she broke into tears. "Aww Bee what's the matter?" Carmen asked running her hand through Bridget's golden locks.

Bee shrugged and buried her face into Lena shoulder. Lena looked to Carmen helplessly.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to Bee." Lena wrapped her arms around her friend and rocked her back and forth like a small child.

"I….kinda…..lied." Bridget hiccupped out between sobs.

"That's okay Bee."

"Yeah Bee, do you want to tell us what you lied about?"

"About not knowing what's the matter." Bridget said when she'd finally composed herself. "I know what's the matter. At least, I think I know what's the matter."

"Bee, you can tell us." Lena said sympathetically as she took Bridget's hand.

Bridget's big blue eyes darted to Carmen looking for approval. Carmen smiled and nodded.

"I slept with Eric and now I think I might be pregnant." Bridget blurted out. Lena let out a small gasp and she squeezed Bee's hand. Carmen's eyes widened and she looked at Lena, as if to say _'I told you so'_. Lena was too involved in Bridget's announcement to notice. "Tibby went to go get me a test. I'm really sorry I didn't tell you guys sooner, I'm just so scared."

"It's okay Bee, we understand." Lena said as she hugged her friend.

"You don't know for sure right? I mean, try not to totally freak out until Tibs gets back with the test."

"No, I don't know for sure, but I have a feeling. What am I going to do? I can't do this!" Bridget said before she was again reduced to sobs. She laid her head in Lena's lap

"Shhhhh...Bee, it'll be okay. We'll get through this, whatever the test says." Lena said stroking her hair. The girls had gotten pretty good a comforting Bridget after the death of her mother, even though Bee spent a good deal of her time running from her pain.

Carmen fidgeted with her hands in her lap. "Where the hell is Tibs? What's taking her so long."

"She was going to Wallman's." Bee said, half of a smile returning to her face.

Carmen let out a nervous laugh, "I wonder if Duncan the Rat-Face manager still works…" At that moment, Tibby came back into the apartment.

"Yes, Rat-Face still works there. Bee, you better know I love you, because I had to listen to Duncan go on and on about how I'd found myself pregnant right out of college." Tibby rolled her eyes. "What, is he living in the 1950's or something?"

Bee looked away, "Sorry Tibby."

"Don't be silly Bee. I'd do it all over again for you." Tibby said, bending to kiss Bee on the cheek. "Besides, it gave me the opportunity to rub it in his face that I'm a successful nurse in my twenties and he's like, a forty year old loser managing a drug store."

"Thanks."

"Did you get the most reliable test Tibs?"

"Actually, I got the one on sale for ninety-nine cents that the pants told me to buy!" Tibby said sarcastically. "Of course I got the best for our Bee. Actually, I got like, five of the best."

"You ready Bee?"

"Yeah, I wanna get this over with." Bee said, taking the bag of tests from Tibby.

"Do you want to wear the pants?"

Bee started to roll her eyes, but then changed her mind in an effort of offer herself a little comfort from simpler times and nodded.

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A few minutes later the girls were sitting together outside of the bathroom watching a timer.

"Are you sure you only set it for five minutes? What's taking so long?" Bee asked bouncing her foot nervously.

"Yeah Bee, I'm sure. Just hang in there." Tibby said, placing a gentle hand on Bridget's foot to keep it still.

"Just take deep breaths Bee, in and out."

Bridget laughed a little, "God, what is this, Lamaze?" Everyone was silent.

"I'm really sorry you guys, I just….don't know what to do with myself. I didn't mean to be so grumpy."

"It's okay Bee." Carmen said, hugging her friend. They jumped as the timer sounded.

"Well, this is it." Bridget said, standing to face her fate. She emerged out of the bathroom pale and sweaty a moment later clutching the test. She handed it to Tibby.

"It says pregnant." She said slowly.

That's what the other nine tests that Tibby bought said also. After Bridget was convinced that the tests were indeed right and that she'd run out of urine to test, she sat down in the living room shocked.

"Bee….." Lena sat by her friend and hugged her.

"We'll figure this out together Bee, we're here for you." Carmen said taking her hand.

Bridget nodded slowly. "I know guys, thank you."

"There's always adoption Bee."

"Or you could always…." Tibby didn't finish her sentence, but they knew what she was thinking. Lena flinched and squirmed at the mere mention of the topic.

"We'll support you; no matter what you do Bee."

Bridget shook her head, "I couldn't do that….I could never….." Lena looked relieved.

The four friends sat in silence for a very long time comforting Bee. Finally, Bridget spoke. She spoke softly at first, but her voice grew with determination as she went on. "I think…..I think I want to do this. I want this baby, because it's mine. And…I love it. It's my responsibility and it needs me. I'm not gonna run anymore. I'm going to do this!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry this has taken so long. I've been busy reading the 3rd Book so I could catch myself up: ) Here's the next chapter. And to give you an idea of things, I imagine these characters to look like they did in the movie, not as they were described in the book.**

Tuesday Evening (A few days after Bee's news)

"I'm exhausted." Lena said, flopping down on the couch practically sitting on Tibby.

"Me too." Tibby laid her head back on the couch and closed her eyes. Tibby was wearing unmatched sweats and Lena's normally beautiful curly black hair hung limp. Carmen was already passed out on the couch. Bridget had been sick for practically twelve hours straight and she'd finally fallen into slumber a few minutes earlier.

"I'm really worried about Bee."

"I know, but it's to be expected to an extent. I'm keeping an eye on her."

"Tibby………." Bridget called weekly from her bedroom. By the time they reached her she was already throwing up.

"Poor Bee." Lena cooed sympathetically, stroking her friends' hair. "Oh my God Bee, you're burning up." She said as her hand brushed across Bridget's forehead.

"Congratulations Bee, you're now running one of your famous Bridget Vreeland fevers and have earned yourself a trip to the ER." Tibby announced as she felt Bridget's head for herself.

"Why is this happening to me? I haven't even eaten anything in hours." Bridget was on the verge of tears. As soon as she started crying she began to vomit again.

"That's it Bee." Tibby said gently after Bridget was done getting sick. "We're going to the hospital….now."

"I don't want to." Bridget protested deliriously.

"Nope, come on Bridge, you aren't thinking rationally." Tibby wrapped her up in a blanket from the bed and picked her up. "Lena, can you get Carmen?" When Tibby turned her head, Lena was already on her way out of the room.

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Tibby settled Bridget in the backseat of the car with Lena. Bridget was awake, but she leaned heavily on Lena. Carmen drove the car nervously while Tibby did her Tibby thing on her phone.

"Yes, is this the emergency room?" She waited for a reply and then nodded, "Okay, this is Tabitha Rollins, I'm an oncology nurse at the Children's Hospital next door. I'm bringing in my friend, she's pregnant and has been violently ill for the past twelve hours and I want her to be seen right away." She listened for a minute and then smiled. "Thank you very much. Her name is Bridget Vreeland."

"Tibby, she's burning up." Lena's voice was full of concern,

"Hang in there Bee, we'll be there soon." Carmen said in attempt to comfort her friend.

"They've got a room waiting for you Bee, no three hour ER wait. I knew I wanted to be a nurse for a reason."

"I'm freezing." Bridget shivered in Lena's arms.

"No Bee, you're just really, really hot." Lena assured her.

"We're here." Carmen said as she brought the car to a screeching halt in the nearest parking space.

Carmen quickly found a wheelchair and Lena helped Bridget into it.

"I'm Tabitha Rollins and this is Bridget Vreeland. I called ahead and she's to be seen immediately." Tibby said approaching a nurse at the desk.

"Of course, right away." The nurse said leading them back to a private room.

"How far along is she?" Allie, the nurse asked after Bridget was settled into bed.

"We think about eight weeks. She just took the test on Saturday and was supposed to go in for her first exam tomorrow."

"104 degrees, she's burning up."

"She does that…"Lena explained, "When she's sick, even if it's just a cold."

"Bridget, I'm going to start an IV and get some fluids running in you and give you an anti-nausea medicine and something to bring that fever down. We'll get you feeling better in no time." Bridget nodded. "We're also going to take some blood, see what's giving you a fever."

"Will the baby be okay?" Lena asked concerned.

"The baby should be just fine. You did the right thing bringing her in though."

"Bridget, I'm going to put your IV in now, little stick here." Allie was gentle and kind in her manner.

"Okay." Bridget mumbled, drifting in and out of sleep. Lena took Bridget's hand and held it in an attempt to comfort her.

"Don't worry." Allie smiled gently at Lena sensing her immense concern for her friend. "She'll be fine, she should perk up fairly quickly once she gets some fluids in her."

"Thank you." Carmen said.

"I'm going to go run these to the lab." Allie said, shaking the vials of Bridget's blood.

"The doctor will be in soon to see her."

"Thank you for getting to her so quickly, we really appreciate it."

"No problem!" Allie said as she left the room.

Carmen, Lena, and Tibby sat in silence watching Bee intently.

"She has to be okay." Lena's voice quivered with unshed tears.

"Aww Lenny, she will be." Carmen said hugging her friend.

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The girls didn't leave Bridget's side while she slept for what seemed like hours. When Tibby looked at the clock, she realized it had only been about twenty-five minutes.

"Hey, you guys look like somebody died." Bridget said smiling weakly.

"Bee!" The three friends echoed, smiling.

"I'm hot, what are all these blankets doing on me?" She said kicking with a lot of strength and vigor for someone who had been so ill.

"You had a really high fever." Lena said, peeling the blankets off her legs.

"That has obviously come down as quickly as it spiked." Tibby said taking Bee's temperature with the ear thermometer she found by the bed.

"You scared us Bee." Carmen said as she pushed Bridget's long blonde hair behind her ear.

"Is the baby okay?" Bridget asked, her hands flying to her flat abdomen.

"The doctor hasn't been in yet, we've only been here about half an hour. I'm sure the baby's fine though." Bridget nodded nervously.

"God, you guys look like crap!" She said, trying to lighten the mood.

"You don't look so hot yourself." Tibby teased back. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Carmen called.

"Hi Bridget, I'm Doctor Cameron, boy you bounce back quickly."

"She's pretty strong." Carmen said sitting beside her friend.

"Well, we ran your blood. First off, you're defiantly pregnant and all your levels look great."

"Good!" Bridget said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"You don't appear to have anything that could have caused the fever, so I'm assuming it's just a cold made worse by your morning sickness and dehydration. I'm going to go ahead and do a pelvic exam and an internal ultrasound to check things out."

"Okay."

"Alright then, let's get started. This might be just a little uncomfortable." The doctor set to work.

"This reminds me a lot of when I became an unwilling birthing coach when Ryan was born." Tibby joked.

"Ouch." Bridget said squirming as she grabbed for both Lena and Tibby's hands and squeezed hard.

"Hang in there Bee, she'll be done soon." Carmen said stroking Bridget's hair. Bridget was clearly very uncomfortable.

"Are these your sisters?" Dr. Cameron asked in attempt to take Bridget's mind off of what's going on.

"You could say that." She said smiling slightly.

"We've been friends since we were in utero." Tibby explained.

"Ah, well, you're lucky to have friends who care about you so much."

Bridget smiled, "I know. Luckier than you could ever imagine."

"Everything seems just fine Bridget." The doctor said dragging an ultrasound machine to the end of the table.

"Told ya Bee." Tibby smiled as she gently squeezed her friends' shoulder.

"Now, let's check out that baby of yours." The doctor went back to work with the internal ultrasound. "See right there?" The doctor asked pointing to the screen. "That is your baby. You're about eight weeks judging from the size. Everything looks perfect."

"Thank God." Bridget said as tears sparkled in her eyes.

"Oh my God Bee, it's amazing." Lena said, her own tears threatening to fall.

"Look at it, it looks like a little peanut." Tibby said pointing to the screen.

"Tibs, don't compare our future niece or nephew to a peanut." Carmen teased.

"No, I like it." Bridget smiled, "Peanut is way better than 'it'. And the little squirt does have a striking resemblance to a peanut."

"The baby will grow out of that." Dr. Cameron said smiling.

"Can you tell what the baby is?" Carmen inquired excitedly.

"No, not yet, you'll be able to tell soon enough though."

"What's that?" Bridget asked pointing to part of the screen.

"That is your baby's heartbeat."

"It's so fast!"

"That's okay, it's supposed to be." Doctor Cameron assured her. "I'm going to print these pictures off for you to take home and prescribe you some anti-nausea medicine for you to take at home if you need to. I'm also going to prescribe you a new prenatal vitamin. You just rest up until your IV's finish and we'll send you home. I'm sure you'll be well taken care of."

"Thank you very much doctor." Bridget said as she took the ultrasound pictures.

"We're so glad you're okay Bee." Lena said joining Bridget on the hospital bed. Carmen and Tibby joined them too.

"Thank you guys so much for taking care of me. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Well, you'll never have to find out." Carmen said kissing Bridget's head.

"You know Bee," Tibby said taking the ultrasound pictures from her, "I must say that this is the most beautiful little peanut I've ever seen."

Bridget smiled, "She's pretty cute huh?"

"She?" Lena asked.

Bridget nodded, "Just a feeling I have."

"It would be awfully fitting." Carmen commented.

"Well, whatever little peanut turns out to be, they're going to have more love than any baby could ever need." Lena said reaching out to touch Bridget's flat tummy.

"You know, I think we're going to be just fine." Bridget said smiling. Not just any smile, but that huge famous Bee smile that made her nose crinkle.

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Four bags of IV fluids later, the girls returned home exhausted after 6 hours in the hospital. But their exhaustion was worth it, as they returned home with Bridget feeling much better. She had regained some of her strength and the old Bee was really beginning to shine though.

"How cute is that?" Lena asked, cooing at the ultrasound picture she'd put on the refrigerator.

Bridget smiled and hugged Lena, "I know, it's amazing isn't it? In the end, I know the results will be worth all this."

By two in the morning they had all showered and felt much more like themselves when they finally settled into bed.

"What are you guys doing?" Bridget asked as her three best friends entered her bedroom.

"We have invited ourselves over for a sleepover." Carmen said, joining Bridget under the covers. Lena and Tibby nodded.

"You guys don't have to stay if you don't want to."

"We do. You were really sick Bee. We're keeping an eye on you."

"Thanks guys." Bridget said smiling at her friends before settling down under the covers. With her friends beside her, Bridget realized that she could get through anything.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys! Sorry this has taken so long.**

_A few weeks later_

Bridget sat on her bed looking at a picture of her and Eric early one Saturday morning. The apartment was quiet because Tibby and Carmen were working and Lena was still asleep. The quiet gave Bridget a little bit too much of an opportunity to reflect. Bridget didn't like to be quiet and she didn't like to think too much, she couldn't.

"What are you looking at?" Lena said coming up behind Bridget and resting her head on her friends shoulder. Bridget jumped, she'd been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't heard Lena come in.

"God Lenny, you scared me!"

"Sorry."

Bridget smiled, "That's okay, you make pretty good company."

Lena glanced at the picture, "Well, I can tell you one thing Bee."

"What?"

"You are going to have one very blonde child." Both Bridget and Eric had brilliantly blonde hair.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Are you going to tell him?" Lena asked, scooting right beside Bridget.

Bee shrugged, "I don't know. He's traveling the world playing soccer and living his dreams. I don't even know how I'd get in touch with him. It was just a stupid, drunken mistake. I don't want to screw up his whole life because we made a mistake."

"But Bee, don't you think he deserves to know? Don't you think he deserves to be a part of the best mistake you may have ever made?"

"I'll tell him, eventually. I want to wait. I've been so sick, I would've hated to tell him and then have something happen with the baby, you know?" Bridget tried to sound brave and detached, but Lena could see tears in her eyes.

"But you've been feeling better lately right?" Lena looked concerned.

"Oh yeah, I'm feeling much more like myself. I just didn't want to risk it."

Lena nodded, but looked at Bee with concerned eyes. Lena always kept a loving eye on Bee, they all did actually. Recently though, Lena's loving eye had developed into more of a constant stare.

"I'm fine Lenny." Bridget said, squeezing her friends hand reassuringly. "We," she said indicating her still flat stomach "have you guys. That's all we'll ever need."

Lena smiled and nodded, "Well, we're here for you always."

"I know." Bridget smiled, "Which is good, because I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure, anything."

"Well, I've been thinking and reading some pregnancy books. I'm going to need a birthing coach to come to classes with me and stuff. I really want you with me. I really want all of you with me."

"I'd love too!" Lena said, getting a little teary eyed. She was honored and so happy to be able to support Bee.

"Don't get too emotional Lenny," Bridget elbowed Lena jokingly, "I'm supposed to be the one with the raging hormones. Besides, I already asked Tibby and Carmen, and they said no." She teased lovingly.

"Where are the classes going to be?"

"I don't know, probably some horribly smelly place a lot like Gilda's." First Bridget smiled at the thought of their sacred hang out, of the place their lifelong friendship began. But then she started to cry uncontrollably.

"What's wrong Bee?" Lena asked wrapped her arms around her friend and pulling her close.

"We were supposed to all be pregnant and get fat together and have our own Septembers. I screwed it up."

"Oh Bridget," Lena cooed gently, "It's not TV, things like that don't happen a whole lot in real life." She smiled slightly, knowing she was caught in the middle of one of Bridget's mood swings. They were few and far between, but when they hit, they hit hard.

"But what if my baby doesn't have any friends?"

"Little peanut will have plenty of friends Bee."

"But we don't have any 'other' friends Lenny, we just have each other."

"That's because we never _needed_ anyone else. Hardly anyone in this world is lucky enough to be born into a group of lifelong friends. But they survive, they make friends."

Bridget nodded and smiled, "You're right. God, I hate it when I get like this! So up and down, I must drive you guys crazy."

"It's okay Bee, you can't help it." Lena paused, "Hey, want some breakfast before your appointment?"

"Sounds good to me, come on." Bridget stood and followed Lena to the kitchen.

"Here Bee," Lena said, rolling a grapefruit in Bridget's general direction.

Bridget curled up her lip and rolled it back to Lena. "Let's have pancakes instead, okay?" Lena was pushing lots of healthy, nutritious foods on Bridget when all she really wanted was junk.

"Okay, but you're cooking!"

Bridget raised her eyebrow and shot Lena a look, "You sure about that Lenny?"

Lena thought for a moment. She remembered what happened at the beach house their 'final' summer when she let Bridget and Carmen cook. The placed had nearly burned down, "On second though…I'll cook."

Bridget grinned, remembering Tibby's theory about their friendship. Tibby said they got along so well because without each other, they'd be screwed. They each possessed their own special skills and talents and when you combined them, you got a pretty well rounded person. For a long time they thought they couldn't exist without one another. They'd learned they indeed could exist outside of their friendship but that they simply preferred not to.

"So how's teaching Lenny? I feel like we've been so focused on me I haven't heard anything about you guys in a long time."

Lena smiled, "It's good, I really like it actually. But you won't believe what I got from one of my 4th graders yesterday!"

"What, a migraine?" Bridget teased.

"No, a proposal!" Lena rolled her eyes.

"Awww, that's so cute and really quite funny."

"Yeah, it was, poor kid really seemed to think he's make a great husband for me one day."

Bridget smiled, "So….when we do get husbands some day do we all buy a house on the same block and raise our children like a litter of puppies?"

Lena nodded, "That's the plan."

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Later that afternoon Bridget and Lena sat in the waiting room of the doctor's office looking through a parenting magazine. While Bridget was beyond thankful for the support of her friends, she couldn't ignore the ache in her heart and the lump in her throat as she looked at all the supportive husbands with their glowing wives. A sound from the hall caught Bridget's attention.

"You know Lenny, I could have sworn I just heard Tibby laughing." As if on cue, Carmen and Tibby came into the waiting room and joined Lena and Bee in the waiting room. "You made it!" Bridget exclaimed excitedly hugging her two friends.

"How'd you two swing this? I thought you couldn't get off work."

"Seriously, you two don't know us better than that?"

"Yeah, you should have known we'd weasel our ways out of an afternoon of work to be here." Tibby teased.

"Bridget Vreeland?" A nurse called into the waiting room.

"Coming…" Bee responded, her friends following close behind.

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"Well Bridget, everything looks great with you and the baby. The baby is right where it should be size wise. You're entering your second trimester, so you should really start feeling more like yourself soon, and the risk of you having a miscarriage is going to decrease greatly too." Lena shot Bridget a little glance at this news.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it. Maybe I can stop worrying so much. But shouldn't I be starting to show by now?"

"Yeah, Bee's the envy of pregnant women everywhere." Tibby was right, Bridget was. She didn't look any different than she had three months ago. She was still as fit and trim as ever.

Dr. Grey smiled, "You see this?" She indicated the six pack on Bridget's bare stomach. Bridget nodded, "Well, you're in such good shape, it's going to take the baby a lot longer to stretch out those muscles. Everything's fine, the baby's size is right where it should be. Besides, labor will be much easier on you with the shape your in."

Tibby snorted, "I never thought I'd hear the words _'labor'_ and _'easy'_ in the same sentence."

"Tibs…" Lena scolded gently. Dr. Grey just smiled.

"Would you like to hear the baby's heartbeat?" She asked placing an instrument on Bridget's stomach. A strong, steady wooshing sound filled the room.

"That's incredible Bee." Carmen said to a beaming Bridget

"You can't tell what the baby is yet can you?" Lena asked. Tibby had voted Lena _'most likely to be driven crazy while waiting to learn the sex of the baby.'_ Lena liked to plan, and she couldn't plan for anything until they knew.

"Not for another couple of weeks no, now it's not one hundred percent reliable, but it sounds like a girl."

"Sounds like a girl?"

Dr. Grey smiled and nodded, "Usually baby girls have much faster heartbeats than baby boys. Plus mom's carrying baby girls are much more likely to have morning sickness."

"Sounds like a girl huh?" Bridget smiled, "That sounds about right."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Again, thank you for your reviews! Please continue reading and leaving feedback so I know people are reading and more importantly, enjoying this! This chapter was a tough one, so I hope it reads okay. I had a tough time putting my thoughts into words! If it's no good, please let me know!**

Lena sat very late one ,night or very early one morning, at her computer, searching the internet for answers. She tapped the keys as gently as possible, hoping to go unnoticed. She winced as her bruised shin bumped into a bar under the desk.

"How'd that get there?" She wondered aloud to herself, trying to rub the pain away. She saw a bracelet on her right wrist but it wasn't hers, it was Carmen's. She looked to her feet and saw she was wearing a pair of Bridget's shoes. Seeing these items made her realize the bruises weren't hers either. Well, they weren't caused by anything she'd done anyway. She'd simply been a victim of Tibby's heel banging while watching a particularly frightening film the night before. That's what she loved about her friends. Not much had changed since high school. They were still so connected that, at times, it was nearly impossible to determine where one began and the other one ended. She smiled as she looked at Bridget's shoes on her feet. Sharing their belongings was nothing new. When the girls were about six, Lena remembered their mothers had to label all their clothes so that, eventually, the outfit would find its way back to its rightful owner. Lena glanced at the screen and smiled to herself.

"Found it." She whispered, writing something down on a Post-it note. She felt a chin on her shoulder and turned her head to see who it was. Teeth clacked in her ear and she knew it was Bridget.

"Found what?" Bridget asked, pulling up a seat beside her friend.

"Ummmm…" Lena crinkled up her nose as she considered what to say.

"Eric's number…" Bridget stated, looking at the screen.

Lena nodded, "I'm sorry, I know you said you'd call when you're ready, I just thought I'd find his number for you."

"It's okay Lenny. Thank you." Bridget said smiling as she took the Post-It note. Bridget couldn't be upset with her; she knew Lena always had her best interest at heart.

"What are you doing up anyway? Couldn't sleep?"

Bridget smiled and nodded. "The baby had the hiccups." She rested her hand lovingly on her once flat abdomen that had recently developed into a small, round baby bump. Bridget's old pants still fit nicely just under the bump, and her shirts still covered it for the most part. "It's hard to sleep when you feel like you've swallowed a Mexican Jumping Bean."

Lena smiled, "I'd imagine it is. Does it feel weird?"

"A little, but it's a really good weird! She's kicking, do you want to feel?" Bridget still wasn't a hundred percent sure of the sex of the baby, but had decided it would be safe to call _'it' 'she'_ until they knew for sure. The baby had only started to really kick a few days before and so they were all still pretty amazed when she did. Bridget took Lena's hand and placed it on her belly.

"I can't even think of the right words to describe how amazing that is…" Lena said smiling. Lena and Bridget turned as they heard someone shuffling into the kitchen.

"Hey Tibs!" Bridget greeted Tibby before she'd even seen her face. She always knew when Tibby was coming because Tibby _always_ shuffled her feet.

"What are you two doing up?"

"The baby won't stop moving long enough for Bee to get any sleep."

"Is she kicking right now?" Tibby asked, running to place her hand on Bridget's belly. As soon as she did, the baby went still. "Okay, I swear Bee, your kid is screwing with me!"

"Poor Tibs…." Lena said, trying not to laugh. It never failed, any time Tibby came to feel the baby kick, the baby stopped.

"Sorry Tibby," Bridget smiled "You'll catch her eventually. I guess she's just playing a little game with her Aunt Tibby."

"Hey you in there," Tibby said as she gently poked Bridget's stomach, "this is cute and all but the games have to stop. You're driving me crazy."

"Now Tibby, play nice!" Bridget teased.

"Hey," Tibby said with a laugh, holding up her hands in defense, "it's the one who's playing games with me." Bridget looked at Tibby and Tibby rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'll play nice." She said, gently rubbing Bridget's baby bump, "Hi little one in there, this is your Auntie Tibby and I would really, really appreciate it if you could give me just a little kick." Tibby said in the sweetest voice she could manage. "I got nothing!" Tibby sounded exasperated as she flopped down into a chair. As Tibby sat, a light in the kitchen came on.

"Hey!" Carmen squealed. "Imagine running into you three here." She said with a wink.

"It never fails, if one of us can't sleep, none of us can!" Lena was right; they always seemed to find each other on sleepless nights.

"Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Tibby could practically see the wheels turning in Carmen's head.

"I'll grab the pillows. Meet you in the living room." Tibby said as she exited the room.

"I'll get the photo albums!" Lena said turning to follow Tibby.

"And I'll get the cookie dough." Bridget pulled open the refrigerator and grabbed a large tub of chocolate chip cookie dough.

"All settled?" Lena asked once they were all cuddled up on the couch.

"Here, I got spoons." Bridget said as she handed each of her three friends a spoon and promptly dug into the raw cookie dough.

"Yeah, cause otherwise, this would be disgusting." Tibby said with just a hint of sarcasm

"Totally!" Lena mumbled in agreement, her mouth full of cookie dough.

"Alright…open it already." Carmen said as she tapped her leg in anticipation. As much as Gilda's was a beloved tradition among the friends, they also loved when they got a chance to sit down and reflect on their childhoods.

"Calm down there Carma, give me a minute!" Tibby said seconds before she flipped open the album.

"Aww, we were so cute!" Lena said, as her three friends cooed at the baby picture staring up at them. In it, four perfect newborn girls lay side by side in a crib, wrapped up like little pink bundles.

"Ha, look at your little bald head Bee!" Tibby nudged her friend as she pointed to another picture of the girls. They were a little bit older, and coming into their own looks. Bridget may have been bald, but she was as cute as a button.

"No fair! All my hair fell out after I was born. How can you tease poor bald little me?" Bridget pretended to be hurt by Tibby's teasing, but it was true. Bridget had been born with a head of soft brown hair that promptly fell out. She spent the early half of her infancy bald until her hair started to grow back in white blonde wisps.

Carmen, Lena, Tibby, and Bridget smiled and laughed and even cried as they soaked up the memories of their childhood. There was one of them napping together when they were about one. Bridget and Lena were asleep, noses touching. Carmen's little hand was holding onto one of Lena's curls like it was her security blanket. Tibby was draped across them all, her diapered bottom sticking up in the air. Another one of them from later in their toddler years showed Tibby and Carmen trying to boost Bridget up onto the counter where a cookie jar sat waiting. A tiny Lena looked on worriedly.

There was another one of them at the pool when they were a little older. Lena sat on the side of the pool watching, her eyes as blue as the water. Carmen swam around with the help of her pink arm floaties, while Tibby clung to a fearless Bridget who swam unassisted. There were pictures of them on the first day of school, pictures from their birthdays, from holidays, and from play dates. They all laughed when they came to one of their favorites. The girls were about seven and were all wearing the same pair of blue jeans. Tibby turned the page and looked at Bridget. Staring back at them was a picture of all four girls cuddled safely in their mothers' laps. Marly died not too long after the picture was taken.

"You look like her Bee." Carmen whispered. Bridget nodded and gave a slight smile. The room was quiet and Tibby didn't make any move to turn the page. She was waiting for Bridget's permission. Bridget looked at Tibby and winked. When Tibby turned the page, they were faced with a picture from one of the saddest times of their lives. They were all wearing black dresses and sitting on a couch at Bridget's house, and they all looked empty. Lena reached out to turn the page.

"No, it's okay Lenny." Bridget said, stopping her friends' hand. "I need to do this."

Lena looked at the pictures and shook her head. "I don't understand why our moms went so camera happy in the weeks after…..well…..you know." In the weeks and even months following her mothers' death, Bridget spent days at a time at her friends' houses. Her father had completely involved himself at work and had no time for his little girl. Lena had never mentioned it to Bridget, but she figured that when Bridget's father looked at her, all he could see was Marly.

"Me either."

"They probably just didn't know what else to do. They must have just wanted to capture as many moments as they could." Lena could hear the filmmaker in Tibby's voice. She could also hear the understanding that only came with watching someone you love die.

"I'm glad they did." Bridget swallowed hard and pointed to a picture. The girls were all cuddled together in Lena's bed asleep. Bridget remembered that night vividly. She remembered Lena's feet pressing into her spine, and Carmen's elbow bumping her in the nose. And she remembered that it was the best nights sleep she'd gotten in days.

"God, how did we ever manage to sleep like that? We were squished!"

"That's the only way I could sleep." Bridget had felt so lost and alone after her mothers' death that when she wasn't with someone, she feared that the sadness would literally swallow her whole. Being wrapped up in her friends limbs had been her anchor to the world. She knew they would keep her there with them where she safe and loved.

"Bee…" Lena cooed, pushing a strand of long blonde hair out of her face. "Are you sure you want to keep looking at these?"

Bridget nodded with determination, "If I want to be a good mother to this little baby, I have to forgive my mother. I've been angry at her for leaving me for a long time, and I just can't do it anymore. I can't hate her." Bridget turned the page and smiled, "I remember when your mom took that picture Lena."

"So do I." Carmen smiled as she looked at the picture. They were sitting under the Christmas tree all dressed in red as lights twinkled above their heads. Bridget was wrapped in the loving arms of all three of her friends. Any stranger looking at the picture would have thought it was from a professional photo shoot for a family Christmas card. The girls however, knew the truth. The picture was taken just a week after Marly died. They were smiling, but sadness hung all around them. It looked like the girls were trying to drown Bridget's sadness in their unconditional love for her.

"Thanks." Bridget said through her tears. They knew Bridget so well, they didn't have to ask why she was thanking them, they just knew. And Bridget knew that as long as she had them, she would always be okay.

"You're welcome Bee." Tibby said squeezing her friends' hand. Bridget squeezed back and smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys. It gives me a lot of motivation to get the next chapter out! I'm glad you're enjoying this. I've been busy so sorry it's taken a while. Please continue to review!**

Bridget sat in the front seat of her parked car, the pants sat beside her on the passenger seat neatly folded. Bridget had found the pants there with a note from Lena sitting on top of them before she'd left for work that morning.

_Bee,_

_I am so sorry that we can't go to your appointment with you and baby peanut today. Take the pants so you'll have a piece of us with you. Please don't forget to call us as soon as you get a chance. _

_Love Always,_

_Lenny (and Tibs and Carma to)_

Bridget read the letter and she couldn't help but laugh a little. Her appointment was for a Monday afternoon and none of her friends could get off work. They had all offered to call in sick, but Bridget assured them she'd be fine. She ran her fingers over the stitching in the pants and smiled. Years ago, Bridget could have never imagined bringing the pants out during their winter hibernation. But as the girls grew to need the pants less and less, they became a little slack with some of the rules. Now, the pants ended up coming out of the closet whenever one of them needed a little extra love and confidence. They looked pretty good considering they hadn't been washed in about 7 years. They actually smelled good too. It was like the pants had soaked up the unique scents of Tibby, Bridget, Lena and Carmen and combined them. Bridget stopped thinking about the pants as she felt her baby move inside her.

"Okay you, sorry, I'm calling now." Bridget grabbed her cell phone and dialed Lena's number without even looking.

"Hello?" Lena answered after a few rings.

"Hey Lenny!"

"BEE!" Lena squealed into the phone. "I've been waiting for you to call. How did your appointment go? I hate that you had to fly solo today."

"It's okay Lena, don't worry about it. My appointment went great, but I want to get Tibby and Carmen on the line before I tell you anything. Give me a second." Lena waited as Bridget dialed.

"Hello?" Carmen's voice echoed in Lena's ear.

"Hey Car, it's Bee. Let me call Tibby." Bridget went back to dialing.

"Hey Bee." Tibby finally answered after numerous rings.

"So, how'd it go?" Carmen asked once they'd all greeted each other over the phone.

"Come on Bee, we're dying here." Bridget could practically hear Lena anxiously banging her foot against a hard object.

"Well, it's a……" Bridget paused just long enough to drive Lena crazy "little baby girl." Bridget pulled the phone away from her ear as her three best friends squealed.

"A little girl." Lena echoed once they quieted down a little.

"Congratulations Bee. We're so happy for you!"

"I can't believe I'm going to have a niece."

"So come on Bee, spill it. What else did the doctor say?"

"Well, I got the 3D ultrasound and it's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. She's got all her little fingers and toes and the doctor says she looks perfect. And she's so beautiful I can hardly believe it." Lena could hear the love in Bridget's voice and it made her so happy she wanted to cry.

"I hope you got pictures for us."

"I did." Bridget smiled and ran her finger over the top baby picture lovingly.

"Did the doctor pin down a due date for you?" Tibby laughed to herself when she heard Lena ask the question. Lena was forever trying to plan for this baby the best she could. But if Tibby knew anything about babies, she knew you couldn't really plan for them. And if the baby was anything like her mother….well, then they REALLY weren't going to be able to plan for her.

"June fourth." Bridget was happy with her due date. It would save her from the long, hot, pregnant summer their mothers had suffered through. And it seemed fitting; after all, their lives had always been marked by summers. Their birthdays had always ended the summer, and now her daughter's birthday would always begin it.

"Way to bring in the summer Bee." Carmen joked.

"I know! Hey guys, I need to go. I haven't had lunch yet and I'm starving."

"Okay Bee, got feed our niece!" Tibby jokingly barked the order into the phone.

"Preferably something healthy." Lena reminded Bridget gently.

"Okay, I'll see you guys when you get home." Bridget said before hanging up her phone and tossing it into her bag.

"Hey Lenny, Carmen, don't hang up yet."

"What's up Tibs?" Carmen could tell Tibby had a plan.

"Meet me in the hospital parking lot at five okay?"

"Why? What are you up to?"

"Lenny…just meet us there okay? It's not like I'm going to kidnap you or something." Tibby said with a laugh.

"Okay, see you at five."

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Bridget sat in their spacious apartment alone with only her thoughts and baby's kicks to keep her company. She liked it when her daughter tumbled, kicked, and hiccupped inside of her. It was a nearly constant reassurance that everything was going to be okay. She felt like she was finally doing something right, like she could finally be happy. Bridget was so happy that she longed to share her news with someone. She picked up the phone and almost called Christina, but then she realized she didn't want to tell her friends' mom she was having a daughter. Not that Alice, Ari, and Christina wouldn't be thrilled, Bridget was like a daughter to all of them. They were nothing but supportive when they found out she was pregnant, but Bridget wanted to tell her own mother. Then she almost called her dad, but they were even more distant since Bridget had moved out. It was like the already weak thread that had held them together had been stretched too far. He had congratulated her about the baby and offered financial support but that was it. Bridget even considered e-mailing Eric, but she figured _'hey, we're going to have a daughter in four and a half months' _probably wasn't the best place to start. Bridget realized that she'd already told her entire world her news. She'd told the only three people that mattered to her, the three people who loved her most. A hard kick in her abdomen shook Bridget from her thoughts.

"You definitely got your mommy and daddy's soccer legs didn't you little girl?" Bridget cooed to her belly. She looked at the clock and saw it was already 6:30. Her friends were running late, and she was beginning to suspect they were up to something. Just as she settled herself onto the couch to catch up on some paperwork, she heard keys in the door.

"Hey Bee." Carmen said smiling, setting a large shopping bag down and joining Bridget on the couch. Lena and Tibby followed.

"Hey! What's in the bag?" Bridget said as she tried to peek in.

"No way Bridge, we want to see the baby pictures first."

"Oh right, sorry. But I must warn you, she is supremely cute." Bridget grabbed an envelope from her purse and got the pictures out.

"Bee, look at her, she's beautiful!" Lena cooed over the ultrasound pictures.

"She really is incredible. Look at her sucking her thumb in this picture." Carmen, Lena, and Tibby all had tears in their eyes as they got their first look at their future niece.

"I know it's so weird to think that she's not even finished growing yet and she's already this amazing little person."

"We're so happy for you Bee." Tibby said hugging her friend.

"Yeah, and we can't wait to meet this little one." Lena said rubbing Bridget's belly.

"It sucks we had to miss her first photo shoot." Carmen said, disappointment hanging in her voice.

"It's okay Carma, I'm going back in a few weeks for another one, and you can all come then." Carmen seemed satisfied by this and smiled. "So, um, are you going to tell me what's in the bag or just let me slowly go insane?"

"Go insane? I thought you already were insane!" Tibby said with a wink.

"Ha ha, very funny Tibs." Bridget said as she poked Tibby.

"Here." Lena placed the bag on Bridget's lap.

"I feel like we should get the candles and crappy dance music out." Carmen said before Bridget had a chance to look into the bag. When Bridget did look into the bag, she screamed with delight.

"Oh my God, you guys got baby pants!" Bridget said, tears starting to form in her eyes. She pulled out a pair of Levi's almost identical to the pants in size 0-3 months.

"Well, we wanted her to have a little magic too."

"Yeah, there are enough different sizes of Levi's in there to last her at least until she's in elementary school.

"Thank you guys so much, I'm really touched." Bridget said, wrapping her three best friends up in a warm hug.

"What do you think little one?" Lena asked, laying the pair of jeans on Bridget's belly.

"Hmm, they look good on her." Tibby joked, placing her hand on top of Bridget's stomach.

"We made up some rules just for fun. We didn't get all ten but we figured we could add on to them and hang them up in her nursery when we're done." Carmen said, handing Bridget a piece of paper. In Lena's elegant handwriting, it read:

_Rules for the Baby Pants_

_We will have to wash the pants. Sorry baby girl peanut. The magic would most definitely be unsanitary._

_You must never spit up while wearing the pants (Especially on Aunt Tibby)_

_You can still never pick your nose while wearing the pants, although you may casually scratch while really picking._

_We will document all the important things in your life on the pants, until you're old enough to do it yourself._

_When we have our daughters (we know we will) you will have to share the pants and their magic equally (we know you will)_

_Remember that these pants are a gift of love and that we love you more than anything in this world. Also, never forget that you are strong, beautiful, and capable of doing anything you set your mind to._

Bridget laughed and tried not to cry as she read over the rules. "You guys are too much. Thank you, I feel so incredibly lucky to have you in our lives."

Lena smiled and squeezed Bridget's hand "Likewise."

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Early the next morning, Bridget got on the computer to check her e-mail before getting ready for work. She wasn't anywhere near prepared for what she saw when she logged into her account. Waiting in her inbox was an emailed titled **'Hey Bee'** from one_'Eric Richmond_. Bridget could barely gather up enough courage to open it. In fact, she even considered deleting it all together. Once she clicked on the link, there was no turning back and she was forced to face the one person she'd been avoiding.

**Hey Bridget,**

**I came across your e-mail address through a series of coincidental clicks. I know we haven't talked since your graduation, but I just wanted to see how things were going for you now that you're out into the 'real' world. I have no doubt that you are as successful at your job as you are at everything else you try. I am really enjoying playing soccer professionally and I sincerely hope that you are as happy as I am. I do miss you though. That's actually the reason I'm writing you. My team is coming to play soccer in Maryland in about a month and I was really hoping we could meet and catch up. I would love to see you again. I hope this e-mail finds you well. Just let me know if you're available.**

**Talk to you soon,**

**Eric**

Bridget stared at the screen for a good ten minutes before she quickly turned off the computer. Then, without thinking, she went to the closet and put on her running shoes.

"I'll be back; I'm going for a jog." Bridget said to anyone who was listening as she grabbed her keys off the counter.

"Bee wait, what's going on?" Lena asked looking extremely concerned.

"I'm fine Lena, I just need to do some thinking." Bridget said, almost slamming the door. Tibby, Lena, and Carmen stood in the kitchen for a minute staring at each other with confused and concerned looks on their faces. Then Lena grabbed her car keys.

"Wait, what are you doing Lenny?" Tibby said, catching Lena's arm.

"I'm going to follow her. Something has obviously freaked her out."

"I know Lenny, but you know Bridget. Sometimes she just needs to run. That's how she deals." Carmen said as she hugged Lena, trying to comfort her.

"But…." Lena protested. She wanted desperately to bring Bridget out of the cold January air, give her a giant hug, and figure out exactly what was going on. Lena had always been the 'mommy' of the group, but she had become even more motherly towards Bridget since she'd been pregnant.

"Yeah Len, you know Bridget. We all do." Tibby said, hugging Lena too. "And you know that no matter how scared Bridget is, and that no matter how far or fast she runs, in the end she always runs straight back to us."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming. Sorry this took so long, it was a tough chapter to write!**

Carmen came home to an empty apartment Tuesday afternoon. It was very rare for Carmen to come home to emptiness and as much as she loved her friends, she welcomed the silence. It had been a week since Bridget had bolted from her room at 7:15 in the morning to go for a jog in the freezing cold. She had returned an hour later, her cheeks red from the cold, with no explanation on what had motivated her early morning run. Carmen had exhausted herself trying to figure out what was wrong. She wanted to be blunt and just ask Bridget, but she knew better. She knew if she pushed Bee, Bee would push back a hundred times harder. So Carmen had run every possible scenario in her mind, and then she ran through them with Lena. They had come to the conclusion that whatever had freaked Bridget out must have had something to do with Eric. Bridget shared everything involving the baby with them, and would have never kept something that serious a secret. The only other reasonable possibility was that Bridget was upset about her mother, but something told Carmen that wasn't it. Carmen decided to use her alone time to catch up on a little reading. She sat down on the couch and spread out four pink baby books in front of her. She'd gone looking for them a few days earlier when she decided she wanted to start documenting her nieces' life. Carmen jumped in surprise when Bridget walked into the living room followed by Lena.

"I am so tired." Bridget said flopping down next to Carmen and placing her head on her shoulder.

"Long day?"

Bridget nodded and lifted her head. "Pregnancy is exhausting."

"Maybe you should go rest for a little bit." Lena suggested, looking at Bridget with concerned eyes. She had joined her two friends on the couch.

"Nah," Bridget waved her hand in dismissal, "We have to go to that birthing class later tonight anyway. So what are you looking at Carmabelle?"

"Our baby books." Carmen said as she pushed Bridget's book towards her.

"Oh, I loved looking through these when I was little." Lena said, hugging her own book to her chest.

Bridget nodded in agreement, "I know, I always loved hearing about how we were born." Just as the girls had always found great importance and meaning in the order they were born, they also found great importance in the way they made their way into the world. Lena had come a little early at the end of August, a good two weeks before she was scheduled to arrive. She was a polite early though, born perfectly healthy and well after her parents had finished her nursery. Even now, Lena couldn't stand to be late or even on time for anything. She was always rushing her three best friends out the door. Lena had been politely early all her life. Bridget made her grand entrance very dramatically. She came into the world like it was some sort of race. She was delivered in a hospital elevator by a nurse less than thirty minutes after Marly felt the first pains of labor, and was kicking like a soccer star from the moment she was born. And Tibby, well Tibby had been so damn stubborn that after twenty-seven hours of grueling labor, the doctors had to go in and get her. Alice always teased Tibby lovingly that she knew she was in trouble when her infant daughter was too stubborn to even be born. Carmen turned out to be a welcomed inconvenience to her entire family. She hung around inside her mother just long enough for every single family member who had come to visit in anticipation of her arrival to leave because they had lives to get back to. Carmen was born just twelve short hours after the last family member boarded their flight. Bridget remembered Christina joking that she thought for sure the other three September babies would be walking by the time Carmen arrived.

"I know, I think our moms loved to tell the stories even more than we loved to hear them." Carmen looked from Lena, who was flipping through her book looking nostalgic, to Bridget, who had stopped looking a few pages in. Carmen didn't have to ask why. She knew that Bridget's baby book stopped at around the time she took her first step, early, at nine and a half months old. Carmen figured this must have been around the time Marly fell off her 'baby high' and into her deep depression. The thought of this made Carmen sad and she wanted to cry for Bridget. She remembered being mad at Marly when she was little because she thought Marly didn't love Bridget enough. That she didn't love her as she deserved and needed to be loved. Of course five year old Carmen hadn't understood Marly's disease, all she understood was that sometimes Marly forgot to pick up Bridget at school and that, a lot of the time, Bridget and Perry had to eat dinner at her house because Marly was asleep by four. Looking to Bridget, Carmen almost told her she was sorry. But she knew in her heart Bridget did not need her pity, she needed her love. So instead, she looked at her with a smile and said "Hey Bee, I'm going to the kitchen, do you want me to bring you back a brownie?"

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Tibby sat down in front of a computer at the nurses' station. She was surrounded by brightly colored walls lined by wagons and IV poles and she could hear children laughing. The Pediatric Oncology Floor looked extremely cheery, but Tibby was not cheery. She was upset, and her throat ached from unshed tears. Tibby had lost a patient that morning, a girl around Bailey's age with the same type of cancer as Bailey. When she looked into that little girl's eyes she saw Bailey, and that scared her. Going into the job she knew what she was up against. She knew it would be hard, and she was prepared for it to get harder. Nurses on the floor who were also mothers had warned her that, soon, Tibby would see her beloved niece in every child she treated. But Tibby wasn't going to give up, because if she did she would feel that Bailey died in vain. Tibby couldn't let that happen. Bailey had come into her life for a reason, and Tibby felt in her heart it was to lead her to the other sick children who needed help. Tibby logged into her e-mail hoping to comfort herself with a message from Carmen, Bee, or Lena. She found two from Carmen, four from Lena, and six from Bee. Bridget must have been extremely bored. But at the top of her inbox, she found something she wasn't expecting. She found an e-mail from Eric Richmond.

"Damn, what is this guy, a stalker?" She muttered to no one. There had been no doubt in her mind what had caused Bridget to take her early morning jog, but Tibby was waiting for Bridget to come to her about it. She did not want to go to Bridget.

**Hey,**

**This is going to sound really crazy and that's because it probably is crazy. I hope you are Bridget's best friend Tibby Rollins. I found your email on The Children's Hospital website (our soccer team is doing some charity work with the kids) and I remembered Bee mentioning that you were going into nursing, and I saw that Bee works at the same hospital and figured she wouldn't be far from you. I have tried contacting Bee several times over the past week and haven't heard back from her so I'm a little concerned. I thought when I left we left on good terms. I miss her terribly and need to see her. If she doesn't want to see me or has moved on, I just need to know. Please pass this message onto her for me. If you don't know Bridget Vreeland then kindly disregard this e-mail.**

**Eric Richmond**

Tibby read the e-mail several times, nervously banging the toe of her shoe into the desk. She couldn't blame Bridget for being reluctant to tell Eric about the baby. Tibby figured Bee probably saw very little use for fathers, considering she had spent most of her life living under the same roof with a man so absorbed in his own pain, he couldn't see his daughters'. She considered calling Lena and letting her know that Eric had contacted her, but then she reconsidered. Tibby knew in her heart that Bridget needed time to digest the idea of Eric coming back into her life. She also knew that Lena's love and strong motherly instincts wouldn't allow her to give Bridget the space she so desperately needed. Tibby was yanked from her thoughts when she heard an IV's beeps calling for her attention in a patients' room.

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Bridget lay in bed unable to turn off her thoughts. She'd read Eric's e-mails so many times, his words now ran through her head constantly. Bridget's first childbirth class at the hospital had gone well, and she'd returned home with Lena to find a pizza ordered with love by Tibby. But seeing all the happy couples left Bridget aching for Eric so much she could hardly stand it. Bridget felt the familiar 'itch' in her legs, and had it not been thirty degrees outside and midnight, she probably would have gone running. Instead, she hopped out of bed and headed down the hall.

"Hey." Bridget spoke softly, sticking her head into Tibby's room. The room was dark and she saw Tibby sitting on the floor staring at her TV where a young, bald Bailey danced across the screen.

"Hi Bee, come sit." Tibby said, pausing the TV and patting the floor beside her.

"You okay?" Bridget asked, searching Tibby's face. She could tell Tibby had been crying.

Tibby nodded and smiled slightly, "Yeah, I am." If there was one thing Tibby admired most about Bridget, it was her ability to understand other peoples' pain. For a girl who had lost so much, she never played the sympathy card and she never compared anyone else's pain to her own. Someone who wasn't as loving and understand as Bee might have been inclined to say, _'Hey, it's not like your mom died, get over it!'_ but Bridget never did. She was always loving, kind, and supportive even when she was drowning in her own pain.

"She must have been really amazing." Bridget said as she pushed a stray hair out of Tibby's face.

"Yeah, she was. She really was. I don't think I even realized how amazing until she was gone." Tibby allowed herself a quick glance at the frozen image of Bailey.

"It must be really hard to be surrounded by so much suffering at work."

"Um…yeah, it is."

"Well," Bridget said, pulling Tibby into a hug, "if you ever want to talk, I'm here."

"I know, thank you." Tibby hugged Bridget back tightly "Same goes for you." She felt Bridget's body sag in her arms and she knew Bee was about to break her silence.

"Eric e-mailed me." She finally said after a long pause.

"Really? When?" Tibby tried her best to sound shocked.

Bridget looked at Tibby and smiled, "You knew?"

"Well, not until today. He e-mailed me too."

"God he sure is relentless."

"He's in love."

"Yeah.." Bridget sucked in a sharp breath, as if she'd be stabbed.

Tibby looked at her, "You're in love too."

"I guess, I don't know. Yeah, maybe I am. There's just so much history and so many emotions involved, and now there's this little girl." She rubbed her stomach lovingly.

"Don't you think he'd like to know her? 'Cause I gotta tell you Bee, she's not even mine and I love her with all my heart already. Are you afraid he won't want what you want?"

Bridget shook her head, "No…I mean, I'd love to do this with him. But I don't need to do this with him. I don't want him to think I'm coming to him because I need money or because I need someone to hold my hand in the delivery room, because I don't." Bridget's grandmother Greta died the summer between her Sophomore and Junior year in college and left Bridget everything she had, which turned out to be quite a bit of money.

"But Bee, he's a good guy."

"I know he's a good guy. He's a wonderful guy and I know he'd probably drop everything to help me do this. I don't want to spend the rest of my life wondering if he's only with me because he is such a good guy."

"He might want kids."

"Sure, one day I'm sure he does." Bridget rested her hand on her belly. "I didn't even know how bad I wanted this until I saw her heartbeat on the ultrasound. I made this decision without even considering him."

"Of course, you made it considering only yourself and the baby. Now you have to let him make his decision."

Bridget looked down and was quiet. Tibby could see tears streaming down her face and gluing her blonde eyelashes together. "I don't want to be the one responsible for taking away his dream. I love him too much to do that" She finally whispered after a long while.

"Bee…" Tibby whispered, pulling Bridget close to her and planting a kiss on her head. Tibby wanted desperately to take all of Bridget's hurt into her own heart so that Bee could be happy again.

"Soccer is his dream, it always has been. She's my dream, I just didn't know it. I don't want him to spend the rest of his life resenting us for taking that away from him. And I can't spend the rest of my life wondering what he could have done if I hadn't saddled him with a daughter at twenty-five." All this time, Tibby had assumed Bridget was avoiding Eric in an attempt to protect herself from getting hurt. Listening to her though, she realized that Bridget was acting out of totally selfless love. She loved Eric so much she was willing to give him wings to fly and setting him free.

"You have to do what you think is best in the long run" Tibby paused, "for all three of you."

After crying in Tibby's room for a long time and then eating half a carton of ice cream, Bridget returned to her room. She was emotionally and physically exhausted and all she wanted to do was climb into bed. First though, she grabbed a post-it note off her dresser. Without giving any thought to what time it might be where Eric was, she dialed. After a nerve racking eleven rings, Eric picked up groggily.

"Hello?" He mumbled into the phone.

"Hey, it's Bee….."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks to all my loyal readers for your reviews. They really keep me going! Sorry this has taken so long, but I've had trouble with uploading documents the past couple of days! Hope you enjoy.**

"Hey Bee." All the sleepiness in Eric's voice was replaced with pure pleasure at the sound of her voice.

"I'm sorry if I woke you."

"No, it's okay. I'm really glad you called. I've been worried about you. How are you?"

Bridget sighed heavily and looked at her belly. "I'm just fine, how are you mister soccer star?"

"Great, I'm really busy with the tour though. I'm never quite sure what city I'm waking up in, but I love it."

She smiled, "You sound happy."

"I am happy. There's only one thing missing…"

'_Please don't finish that sentence._' Bridget begged silently.

"You." Bridget and Eric had been on again off again all throughout college, but neither one of them had ever really settled down enough to be serious about their relationship. They both had always seemed to find comfort in the way things were. "So what's going on with you Bee? Still tall, blonde, and beautiful?"

Bridget laughed, "Yeah, last time I checked anyway."

"So, I hate to jump to the chase here but I've got an early game. Are you available to meet up when I come into town?"

"Eric, I don't know if I can…."

"Why not? Don't tell me your engaged or something."

"I'm pregnant." Bridget blurted it out so fast it came out sounding more like one word.

"What?"

"I'm pregnant." Bridget repeated. A long silence from Eric followed.

"Um….." He finally said after a while, "congratulations?" He wasn't getting it. He sounded hurt; like he thought she'd gone off and had sex with some other guy.

"No Eric…." Bridget rubbed her temples. The conversation was getting painful. "It's yours. She's yours actually."

"Oh." Eric was silent.

"Are you okay? I know it's a lot to take in."

"Yeah….um…..when? After your graduation?" Eric sounded like he wanted to throw up.

"Yeah, I guess we should have been more careful."

"Is everything okay with the baby?" Eric's voice was distant, like he was talking about someone else's baby, not his own.

"Oh yeah, she's perfect. She's due in June." Eric could hear the happiness in Bridget's voice.

Eric sighed heavily, "June sounds really soon."

"I know."

"So we need a plan right? We have to think logically."

"A plan?"

"Yeah, we need a game plan." Eric was rambling.

"Damn it Eric, this isn't a soccer game." Bridget tried not to yell.

"Well I'm sorry Bridget, I don't know what to say. How long have you known about this, months?"

Bridget sighed. She knew she wasn't being fair. She'd had months to let the news of her pregnancy sink in. Eric only had minutes. "I'm sorry."

"What do you want me to do Bridget? Do you want me to come home?"

"What do you want to do?" Bridget refused to beg for him to come be by her side.

"I don't know. It's four in the morning and I can't think straight. If I come home now I'll lose my contract. I'll lose everything."

"I don't want you to give up on your dream because of us." Bridget whispered.

"I feel like we need to talk about this in person. I want to see you" He paused, "I need to see you. Can you meet me when I'm in town?"

"Yeah, I can do that. You have my number now right?"

"Yeah I do. I'll call you when I get a chance okay?"

"Okay."

"Take care Bee."

"You too Eric." Bridget said, hanging up quickly before her tears started to fall. She was feeling more hopeless than ever. As much as she liked to pretend she didn't want or need Eric with her, she knew she did. She buried her face in a pillow in an attempt to quiet her sobs. She was obviously not very successful because a few minutes later there was a gentle knock at her door.

"Bee, you okay?" Lena spoke softly from outside the door. Bridget let her silence answer Lena's question. After waiting a minute Lena opened the door and rushed to Bridget's side. "What's wrong Bee? Are you in pain? Is it the baby?" Bridget didn't have to see Lena to know she was concerned and bordering on panicked.

"She's fine." Bridget replied, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"Bee…." Lena cooed sympathetically as she sat down next to Bridget on the bed. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Bridget didn't mean to be difficult. But in all honesty, she didn't know what was wrong. Eric hadn't refused to come home, hadn't called her horrible names, and he hadn't said he wanted nothing to with their baby. He hadn't said much of anything, which said a lot more to Bridget than words could.

"Did you call Eric?"

Bridget lifted her head and looked at Lena, tears welling in her eyes. "Did Tibby tell you?"

Lena shook her head and smiled slightly, "I saw the Post-It on your nightstand."

"Oh."

"Bee, what happened?" She asked, pushing Bridget's hair out of her face and hugging her tightly. "Do we need to send Tibby after him to kick his ass?" She felt Bridget shake her head.

Bridget sucked in a deep breath in an attempt to compose herself and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "I don't think he's coming home."

"Did he say he wasn't?"

Bridget shook her head, "No, but he wasn't exactly thrilled."

"Bee….." Lena said handing her a tissue. "I'm sure he'll come around."

"Maybe." She said shrugging and trying to seem indifferent, even though she'd been sobbing minutes earlier.

Lena took Bridget's hand and squeezed it gently, "I know you want him here with you."

Bridget looked down. She was afraid that if she made eye contact with Lena she'd start crying again. "Yeah, I guess."

"Well, regardless of what Eric decides, we'll be there for you." Lena tried to sound supportive but the sadness she felt for Bridget weighed down her voice. She had always believed that one of the best parts about giving birth, aside from getting to see your baby for the first time, was to have your husband, fiancé, or boyfriend kiss you and marvel at what you'd created together. If Eric didn't come home, Bridget wouldn't get that moment.

"I know. That means more to me than you guys will ever know." Bridget said sincerely.

"You should get some sleep. This isn't good for you or that baby girl of yours." Lena smiled and touched Bridget's stomach.

Bridget nodded in agreement, "I am awfully tired. Goodnight Lena." She said hugging her.

"Night Bee." Lena said as she scooted off the bed and headed for the door.

"Hey Lenny?"

"Yeah Bee?"

"Thanks for listening."

"Anytime."

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It had been two weeks since Bridget had called Eric, and aside from a casual e-mail, they hadn't spoken. He did ask Bridget to e-mail him an ultrasound picture which she took as a good sign. Eric wouldn't be arriving in town for another two weeks when Bridget would be well into her fifth month of pregnancy. She was starting to get bigger but the only part of her body that had really changed was her stomach. She looked like she'd simply stuck a very small soccer ball under her shirt.

"How 'bout Kate?" Carmen suggested from her place on the couch. The girls were all snuggled warmly into the living room flipping through baby name books.

"Hmm, maybe." Bridget said, seriously considering the name.

"Or Alexis, it's Greek and I always liked it."

"Yeah, Alexis is a good name Lenny."

"OH, I know! Name her Gilda!"

Bridget shook her head and laughed, "Tibby, do you hate my daughter?"

"No really! It's the name of the place we all started."

"I get the meaning but seriously, Gilda?"

"Grace, that's a sweet name. I like it!" Lena said, trying to stop the silliness.

"Me too, add it to the list Carma."

"Um…what about Marly?" Carmen suggested quietly.

Bridget thought for a moment and finally shook her head. "No, I couldn't do that to her. She needs her own name, her own identity. I don't want her to have to carry my loss with her the rest of her life." Carmen nodded in agreement.

"So Bee, are we going for cute or classic? Do you want you twenty seven year old daughter introducing herself at a job interview as Riley?"

"Riley, I like that! Write that one down too Carmen."

"You like all the names Bee. She's going to have like, seven names."

Bridget shrugged and smiled, but then a DVD sitting on top of the TV caught her eye. "Oh crap! Oh crap, crap, crap!"

"What's wrong Bridge?" Tibby asked.

"We had birthing class homework!" She said abandoning her place on the couch and grabbing the DVD.

"I guess we better pop it in now. I'll go get some snacks." Lena said, going to the kitchen and digging through the pantry.

"Whoa Bridge, wait just a minute. What is that? Can I see?"

"Here Tibs." Bridget said as she handed her the DVD. "It's just some video of some lady giving birth."

"Oh sweetie, as one of your very best friends I cannot let you watch this." She said as she shoved the DVD under the couch cushion.

"Why? I'm going to have to do it in a couple of months."

"Exactly my point! Letting you watch that movie would be like showing a group of soldiers **Saving Private Ryan** before sending them out onto the battle field."

"Tibby…." Carmen said in a stern tone.

"What? You saw the same video when your mom had Ryan. Do you really think it's the best idea?"

"Well…."

"Come on guys, you're freaking me out here. How bad could it possibly be?"

"I don't know. I guess you'll just have to see for yourself." Tibby figured it was best not to mention that watching Ryan's birth had convinced her she'd be adopting all her future children.

"Ready?" Lena asked as she sat a wide array of snacks down on the coffee table.

"You're so not going to want to eat those Lenny." Tibby warned, grabbing a marshmallow from a bowl. During her years of nursing school Tibby had developed an iron stomach. Lena looked at the snacks and back at Tibby and reconsidered eating anything.

"I guess we better get this over with." Bridget said pressing the play button. "This isn't so bad." She said after only a few minutes.

"Give it time." Tibby cautioned. She was right, after another few minutes the woman in the movie was seized by excruciating pain and instructed to push.

"Oh my…" Lena stared at the TV, her porcelain skin taking on a green tint. It suddenly occurred to her that poor Bridget had been saddled with the worst possible labor coach in the world. Lena hated blood, so much she could barely stand to look at a paper cut. She hated to see people she loved in pain even more than she hated blood. Lena panicked when she realized that she and Bridget, the two people who had the least experience in this area, were the two diving in head first. They were the labor and delivery virgins. Carmen had experience and Tibby was an old pro.

"God!" Bridget finished her sentence. She suddenly found herself wishing she'd paid more attention to this subject in health class. "This is awful!"

"It's not so bad Bee. Think of the beautiful baby girl you'll get out of it."

"Oh hush, you don't have to do it Carma!" Bridget turned her attention back to the screen, but after one quick glance at what was happening to the poor woman on screen she buried her head in Lena's lap. "What have I gotten myself into?"

"It's okay Bee, you'll do fine." Lena said patting Bridget's hair and sounding quite unconvinced. What she was really thinking was _'Poor Bee!'_

A terrifying scream escaped the woman in the video and prompted Bridget to cover her ears. "I can't believe I have to do that in four months." She muttered. The scream was followed by an infants cry.

"Look at the baby Bridge." Lena said, the grimace on her face quickly softening.

"She's beautiful…." She cooed once she finally pulled her head out of Lena's lap. Then she grabbed the phone and started dialing.

"Um Bee, what are you doing?"

"Scheduling a C-Section."

"I don't think so young lady." Tibby said, taking the phone from her and hanging up.

"What did you do that for?"

"Trust me Bee, you don't not want major abdominal surgery if you don't have to have it."

"Yeah but I'm not sure I want to do that either!" She said pointing to the screen frantically.

"Bee…." Carmen said taking her hand and pulling her to a sitting position on the couch. "Listen to me; you're going to do fine!"

"Yeah, remember when you played that soccer game with a broken foot and ended up scoring the winning goal and getting MVP?" Lena was using her pep talk voice.

"You've got a super high tolerance for pain."

"Not that high." Bridget said wrinkling up her nose as she remembered the video.

"Well Bee, I only have one piece of advice for you." Tibby said smiling.

"What's that?"

"Don't be a hero and get the epidural!"


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: First off, thank you for all your lovely reviews, I can't believe I've gotten over 100! Secondly, I'm so sorry this chapter has taken so very long. I got busy and I got a bad case of writers block and had no idea what to do next. But here it is and I hope you enjoy and continue to review.**

"Lenny?" Bridget yelled through the closed door of the baby's nursery.

"Don't come in, this room is supposed to be a surprise!" Lena yelled back from inside the nursery where she had spent most of the last week. Lena had taken Bridget to the baby store and asked her to pick out the baby's bedding, but that was all the say Lena had given Bridget on the matter. She wanted to give her niece somewhere special to sleep and was using her artistic talents to do so.

"I won't. Do you know where my black dress is?"

"It's hanging up above the washing machine."

"Thanks."

"Are you getting ready for your dinner with Eric?"

"Yeah, do you think the black dress will look good on me?"

"Bee, he hasn't seen you in months, anything will look good on you."

"Lenny, will you come out of there? I don't want to talk to you through the door."

"Okay, give me a second."

"I'm going to go change, I'll meet you in the living room."

"Nice of you to join us." Tibby quipped when Lena finally joined them on the couch.

"You've got a little paint on your nose." Carmen said as she poked a large, pink spot on Lena's nose.

"When do we get to see the nursery anyway?"

"When I'm done, you can't rush an artist you know."

"So are we really going to let Bee go out to dinner with Eric without us?"

"I can hear you!" Bridget called from her bedroom.

"I don't know," Lena replied lowering her voice, "I don't think we should stop her."

"Guys, it's not like she's meeting an internet stalker, this is Eric we're talking about here." Tibby rolled her eyes.

Bridget cleared her throat as she entered the room, "So, how do I look?"

"Oh Bee, you look beautiful!" Lena said with a smile as she turned to look at Bridget.

"You look entirely too good to be almost six months pregnant, that's how you look!" Carmen stood and began fussing with Bridget's long blonde hair.

"Yeah Bee, are you trying to kill the guy or something?"

"I don't look all fat and puffy?" Bridget asked as she patted her round belly.

"No, you look pregnant."

"Thanks Tibs."

"What? That would only be a bad thing if you weren't actually pregnant. But you are so it's all good."

"Okay, well I need to go. I'm going to be late."

"Wait," Lena said catching Bridget's hand and giving it a squeeze. "You sure you're going to be okay?"

Bridget smiled reassuringly, "I'll be fine Lenny, no matter what Eric says. I'll see you guys tonight, don't start the movie without me." Bridget said with a wave as she grabbed her purse and headed out the door."

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Bridget stood nervously outside the restaurant waiting for Eric to arrive. She became suddenly aware that her nerves were affecting her unborn baby as she felt her daughter tumble and kick inside of her.

"Hey Bee." Bridget looked up to see Eric standing in front of her looking more gorgeous than he ever had before. He held his arms out to her and she walked into them. _'God this feels good.' _She thought to herself as she buried her face in his chest.

"Hi." She whispered, feeling as if the entire world around them had disappeared and been reduced to just the three of them.

"You are you know." He whispered back.

"I am what?"

"Still tall, blonde, and beautiful." He said, rubbing her back with his strong hands.

"Well," She said pulling away, "You sure do know the way to a girls heart Eric Richmond."

He studied her entire body with his eyes, "You look…."

"Like I shoved a soccer ball up my dress?"

"No, amazing." He paused. "May I?" He asked, reaching his hand towards her swollen belly.

"Of course." Bridget smiled, taking his hand and placing it firmly on the spot on her belly where her daughters kick could be felt.

"Wow…" Bridget couldn't help but smile as she watched Eric melt when he felt their baby kick. "She's strong!"

"You're telling me." Bridget said with a laugh.

"Does it hurt?"

Bridget shook her head, "No, not really. It's nice actually."

"Well," Eric said, wrapping his arm around her protectively, "Let's get you two inside."

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"So how's your dad?" Eric asked as he took Bridget's hand in his own. They were sitting at a small table tucked cozily into a corner at an upscale Italian restaurant.

"He's…..my dad." Bridget said with a shrug. Eric nodded understandingly. "Hey, I just got these the other day. Prepare yourself for extreme cuteness." She said digging though her purse and digging out her latest ultrasound pictures.

"God," Eric said taking them in his hands and studying them intently, "She really is gorgeous."

Bridget nodded proudly, "Look, she's sucking her thumb in this one."

"Do you have a name picked out?"

"Not really. I mean, there are some that I like but I wanted to wait and talk to you first."

"Really?"

Bridget nodded sincerely, "She's your baby too. I want you to be involved in her life…….if you want to that is."

"I want to Bridget, I want to be there for both of you. I talked to my coach and I can't get out of my contract for another year, but after that I can come be here for good and coach college soccer. I love you Bridget and I want to spend the rest of my life with you but I don't want you to put your life on hold for me."

"I love you too." She whispered, wiping the tears from under her eyes.

"Come here." He said pulling her into his lap and kissing her.

"I can wait."

"Yeah?" He asked, pushing her blonde hair out of her face.

She nodded, "No one makes me feel the way you do."

"I'll come home as often as I can, on holidays and stuff. We're supposed to be in Australia the week she's due, but I'll do everything I can to be here with you." He kissed her again.

"We'll be okay if you can't be here."

"Yeah? Who's your coach?"

"Lena." She said with a smile.

"Lena? The same Lena who passed out when Carmen cut her thumb cooking us an authentic Mexican dinner?"

Bridget laughed a little; she really appreciated the fact that Eric had spent so much time getting to know her friends. "Yeah, that Lena. But that Lena is also sweet, gentle, calm, and really great at encouraging me. Besides, Tibby and Carmen will be there if she passes out."

"Well, I want to be there too."

"I know you do. I've got a video you should watch before though, letting you go in unprepared would be cruel."

"It's that bad huh?"

"You have no idea." She said wincing at the mere thought of the birthing video.

"You," He said kissing her "can do anything you put your mind to."

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"You sure you can't come back to the apartment for a little bit?" Bridget asked for the third time as they left the restaurant together. The three and a half hours they'd spent together hadn't been enough.

"As much as I'd like to, I've got a really early game tomorrow. But I've got another two days in the city after that and I want to spend every spare minute with you."

"Tonight was really nice."

"It was, wasn't it?" He said, pulling her body into his.

"I love you Eric." She said before kissing him deeply, passionately.

"I love you too, both of you." He said bending to kiss her stomach.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Usual story, I'm sorry this chapter has taken so long. I hope it's worth the wait for you all though. I am so grateful for all my wonderful readers and their sweet reviews! Keep it up if you're enjoying this story. **

"What time is Bee supposed to get home?" Lena asked, struggling to put her key in the door while juggling the numerous bags of stuff she'd acquired at Party City.

"Five." Carmen reached around Lena and stuck her own key in the door.

"Good, so we've got time to hide this stuff before she gets home."

"We sure did get a lot of pink." Tibby stated once they'd settled into the apartment and started going through the bags.

"She is having a girl Tibs, what color would you have suggested?"

Tibby shrugged, "I don't know, something funky and unexpected like fluorescent green."

"Well, we'll keep that in mind for your own shower." Lena teased.

"Don't hold you breath!" Tibby shot back looking slightly horrified.

"Anyway," Carmen interrupted, "Almost everyone has called to tell us they're coming except Bee's dad and Perry."

"I wouldn't count on hearing from Perry, I think he's living in a cave somewhere."

"Tibs…." Lena warned, "He had a really hard time with Marly's death."

"Yeah, but that's no reason to ignore his sister."

"Well, I don't think Bridget will be too surprised if he doesn't show."

Tibby glanced at the guest list. "I can't believe how many people we invited."

"Our lives are rich and full of people we love. We're very lucky." Lena smiled.

"It's hard to believe in less than two months we'll have another person to love."

"I know! Speaking of the baby, I guess we should keep planning this shower." Lena said in an attempt to get her friends back on track.

"Right."

"Okay, so the party is Saturday at noon. I'm going to take Bee out for a manicure and pedicure, Tibby's going to pick up the cake and get the food, and Carmen's going to stay here and decorate."

"And you've got all of Bee's presents wrapped right Car?"

"Yeah, and you're done with the nursery?" She turned to Lena.

Lena nodded proudly, "Yes, finally."

"So…can we see it?" Tibby asked even though she already knew the answer.

"You two will just have to wait until Saturday and see it when everyone else does!"

"You're cruel Lenny!" Carmen said, tossing a pillow in Lena's general direction.

Lena stuck out her tongue, "I am not, you're just impatient."

"I guess we better put this stuff away before Bee gets home. You're keeping it in the nursery, right Len?" Tibby gathered the shopping bags up and headed in the general direction of the baby's room.

"Hold it right there Tibs. I'll put those away thank you very much."

"Nice try, but I think we're really just going to have to wait to see the room." Carmen patted Tibby's hand.

"I really wish Bee's dad would call." Lena said once she joined her friends back in the living room.

"Maybe he'll come through." Carmen was trying very hard to give Mr. Vreeland the benefit of the doubt.

"I know she says it doesn't bother her but…." Tibby stopped talking when she heard Bridget's keys in the door.

"I promise it's fine." Bridget emphasized to the person she was talking to on her cell phone. She smiled at her friends and joined them on the couch, "Eric, I understand completely. We'll be fine." She listened to Eric for another minute, "I love you too. Talk to you soon." Bridget hung up the phone and turned her attention to her friends, "Hi!"

"Hey Bee, what was that all about?"

Bridget sighed and pushed her hair behind her ears, "Eric can't make it to the birth. He's tried everything he can think of but he just can't get out of his obligations to the team."

"I'm so sorry Bee." Carmen offered Bridget a hug.

"It's really okay. Two months ago I didn't even think Eric would be in her life ever, so this is a big improvement. Besides, I'll have my girls with me so I'll be just fine." She said, wrapping her arms around Tibby and Lena's shoulders and pulling them in close.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world." Lena's eyes got wide when she looked at the coffee table and noticed that a package of baby shower plates was still sitting out. "I'll be right back." She said, grabbing the plates and hurrying from the room.

"So when's this surprise baby shower you three are planning?" Bridget whispered once Lena was out of earshot. She appreciated their attempts to surprise her, but knew them all far to well for them to actually pull it off.

"Saturday at noon, but I'd keep quiet about knowing if I were you. There's a manicure and a pedicure in it for you."

"Okay, I'll wear a cute sundress and act surprised."

"So how did your appointment go today?" Carmen asked once Lena had returned.

"It was great! Her heart rate's perfect, her size is perfect, she's just perfect."

"Good, we wouldn't have it any other way!" Tibby said, reaching out to touch Bridget's stomach.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys, keeping reading and enjoying and I'll keep spitting out the chapters. Sorry this has taken so very long, I was on vacation!**

"So the girls are throwing you a surprise baby shower this afternoon?" Eric asked from his end of the video chat. It was early Saturday morning and Eric and Bridget were enjoying their weekly chat.

"Yep." She said with a nod.

"But you know about it? Doesn't that kind of defeat the point of a surprise party?"

Bridget nodded again and laughed, "They tried pretty hard to hide it from me but I know them too well. Lena's the only one who still thinks it's a surprise. We're letting her have her fun."

"How very kind of you."

"Well I do try." Bridget turned her attention away from the computer screen when she heard the door to her bedroom open. Tibby walked in.

"Hey Bee."

"Hi Tibs."

"Hello Eric." Tibby said with a wave as she sat on Bridget's bed.

"How are you this morning Tibby?" Bridget asked, confused by Tibby's odd behavior.

"I'm good."

"Do you need anything?"

Tibby waved her hand, "I just wanted to visit with you. I can wait."

Bridget laughed, "Okay then."

"Hey, did you show him?"

"Show me what?" Eric interjected from his end of the video chat.

"Show him!" Tibby slid off the bed and stood by Bridget at the computer.

"Look," Bridget proclaimed proudly, standing sideways, lifting her top to reveal her swollen belly, and pointing to her new outie belly button. "I've popped!"

Eric laughed, "You sure have. Is that like the pop up timer in a turkey? Does that mean she's done?"

Bridget placed her hands on her stomach protectively, "No, she has to hang out in here a little bit longer. And please don't compare our daughter to a turkey!"

"You look really good Bee." Eric assured her, taking in the site of her growing belly.

"Thank you." Bridget looked at the clock, "Eric, I should go. Lena and I are supposed to leave soon and I'm not even dressed."

"Okay, I love you."

"Love you too." Bridget said before closing her laptop. "What?" She questioned when she saw the grin on Tibby's face.

"You guys are really cute, nauseating, but cute."

"Oh you hush. So what should I wear to this party?"

Tibby shrugged, "Something nice, it is a big day for the baby." She placed both her hands on Bridget's belly and brought her mouth close to it so she could talk to the baby. "It's your first party, isn't it little one? Unless of course you want to count the graduation party at which you were conceived."

"Tibs!" Bridget scolded, tapping the top of her head gently, "She can hear you! You really probably shouldn't corrupt the unborn."

"I know she can hear me but she doesn't know what conceived means."

Bridget rolled her eyes and laughed, "So, you think I should wear a dress?"

"Sure, that'll work."

"Lena's going to freak if I don't hurry up." Bridget said, tugging her strapless pink dress over her head. "Can you hand me that brush?"

"How are you feeling Bee?" Tibby asked, studying her face and noticing dark circles under her eyes.

"Fine."

Tibby continued to look at Bridget, "You sure?"

"I'm _tired_." Bridget sighed, flopping down on the bed next to Tibby. "It feels like she never stops moving, she's taking up so much room that I'm nauseous all the time, my back hurts, I _always_ have to pee….."

"Awww Bee," Tibby rubbed her back gently, "I'm sorry you're having a tough time right now."

"I'm just….."

"Ready for her to get here?"

Bridget nodded enthusiastically, "Exactly."

Tibby patted her hand, "Only six and a half more weeks."

"I know."

"Until then, you need to slow down and take better care of yourself."

"I will."

"Bee?" Lena called from the hallway, "Come on, we're going to be late."

"Coming!" Bridget answered standing and motioning for Tibby to follow her.

"You look so pretty Bee!" Carmen exclaimed when Bridget entered the room.

Bridget smiled, "Thank you, Carma!" Bridget turned her attention to Lena, who looked equally gorgeous in a pale blue dress, her dark locks curled perfectly. "Looks like Lena and I both decided to dress up today."

Lena swallowed hard and forced a smile, never taking her eyes off Bridget.

"You okay Lenny?"

"I can't believe you knew!" She cried in exasperation.

"Knew what?"

"Knew about the shower."

"What shower?" Bridget asked trying to sound as innocent as she possibly could.

"The baby shower," Lena said, pushing her body further into the couch, "You barely take off your sweats these days, there's no way you'd get that dressed up just to get your nails done."

Bridget slowly lowered herself down next to Lena and smiled, "We know each other far to well."

Lena smiled back and nodded, "How long have you known?"

Bridget shrugged, "Since you started planning it."

"Did you two know she knew?"

"You can't keep anything from Bee." Carmen commented.

"Well, I'm sorry we couldn't keep it a secret."

"Oh don't be silly, it is so incredibly sweet of you guys and I really appreciate it. I'm just sorry I couldn't keep you from finding out it was no longer a surprise."

"I'm not even sure why I bothered trying." Lena said with a laugh.

Tibby tossed a pillow in Lena's general direction. "I'm not sure either, but it was really sweet so we had to let you try."

Carmen glanced at her watch, "As much as I love you two and enjoy your company, you've got to get out of here so Tibby and I can get ready for our guests!"

"Right, ready Bee?" Lena asked, offering Bridget her hand and helping to pull her into a standing position.

"Yep, let's g….." Bridget's sentence broke off as she winced in pain and lowered herself back on to the couch. Carmen, Lena, and Tibby were by her side in seconds.

Lena instinctually offered Bridget her hand to squeeze, "Bee, what's wrong?"

"Braxton Hicks." Bridget said, rubbing her hand over her stomach in an attempt to ease the tightening and pain.

Lena looked at Tibby in hopes of some sort of medical confirmation. Tibby nodded and stroked Bridget's hair, "She's probably right Len."

Bridget's whole body relaxed as the tightness in her uterus subsided and she laid her head back against the couch. "I'm glad that's over with."

"You okay Bee?" Carmen asked, patting Bridget's leg. Her voice was full of concern.

"Yeah, but those are really starting to suck!"

"Are you sure that wasn't a real contraction?" Lena asked, still terrified.

"Pretty sure, I was just at the doctor on Thursday and she was showing no signs of being anywhere close to being ready to be born. I've had Braxton Hicks before but they're getting a lot more painful."

Tibby rubbed Bridget's back hoping to release any left over tightness from the contraction. "Well, she's a lot bigger now so your uterus is probably a little irritable. Plus she's a busy baby and lots of times babies moving around a lot can trigger Braxton Hicks."

"Bee has an irritable uterus? That's kind of funny."

Bridget stared at Carmen, her mouth hanging open, "I can't believe you're laughing at my pain!"

"Sorry sweetie."

Lena pushed a stray blonde hair out of Bridget's face, "Are you still up to going out?"

"Totally, the pain is gone and I'm good to go. It'll be good for me to get out of the house."

Lena wasn't convinced and turned to Tibby, "Tibby, is she still up to going out?"

Tibby laughed, "Bee's _fine_, but if she has more than four in an hour or they get into a regular pattern she needs to go to the hospital."

"But you don't have to worry about that because it's not going to happen. Trust me, this little girl is not going anywhere anytime soon."

Lena seemed comforted by Tibby's instructions, "Okay, let's go then."

"Be back at twelve!" Carmen gently reminded them as they headed out the door.

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"So who's coming to this party you three have planned?" Bridget and Lena sat in their parked car outside of the nail salon.

"Well, a lot of your friends from work, our moms mentioned something about stopping by…."

"Seriously?"

"Oh my God Bee, they were so excited!"

Bridget smiled, "Really?"

Lena nodded, "And Tibby, Carmen, and I thought we might hang around. We're not really sure though. We might just catch a movie instead."

"Ha ha, very funny Len!"

"I do try."

"So…" Bridget twisted a strand of her hair around her finger nervously, "is my dad coming?"

Lena looked down and shook her head, "He never called. I'm really sorry Bee."

"It's okay, I wasn't really expecting him to come."

"He really does love you."

"I know he does." Bridget smiled slightly but then winced, "Damn."

Lena's eyes grew wide with panic, "What's wrong, are you having another contraction? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"No, feel." Bridget took Lena's hand and placed it over a hard bump that had appeared near the top of her bulging belly.

Lena gasped, "That's so weird! What is that, a fist?"

"Well, her head was down here at my appointment on Thursday." Bridget indicated the lower part of her stomach, "So unless she's done some major summersaults, I'm guessing that's a foot."

Lena rubbed the bump gently, encouraging her unborn niece to move her foot into a more comfortable position for Bridget. "You've got to go easy on your mom sweets."

"Yeah, besides if you continue to pull little stunts like you have today, your poor Aunt Lena is going to be nothing but a huge bundle of nerves by the time you actually arrive." With a little more encouragement from Lena's gentle hand, the baby stopped stretching and returned her foot to where it had been before. "Good girl!" Bridget cooed, "Now, you behave because we've got a party to go to later. Keep those arms and legs still for just a couple of hours."

Lena couldn't help but smile as she watched Bridget interacting with her unborn daughter, "Are you excited?"

"Yes, but I'm also terrified." Bridget absently rubbed the spot on her belly where she thought her baby's back would be, hoping to soothe the wriggly infant and stop her continuous kicking.

"That's understandable Bee."

"Not so much about the labor because I know that won't last forever. I just hope I'll be a good enough mother."

"Bee, you're going to be a fabulous mother."

"But just look at my mom."

"She was sick Bee, _really_ sick." Lena reminded her gently, "You don't have what she has."

Bridget nodded and fought hard to blink back tears, "I just want her to be happy and healthy and know how much she's loved."

"She will be."

"You really think so?"

Lena nodded, "I'd be willing to bet my life on it. Now come on, let's go get pampered."

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"Tibby, I need some help!" Carmen called in desperation. She was trying, unsuccessfully, to hang pink streamers in the living room.

"No way, you promised that I didn't have to help with decorations if I picked up the cake and the food. I picked up the cake and the food, my job is done."

"Tabitha Tomko-Rollins you get your ass in here right now and help me decorate! It is eleven and people will be here in less than an hour."

Tibby sighed in defeat, "I can't believe you just triple named me."

"I can't believe you don't want to help out with decorations!"

"I can't believe you trust me enough to help you with decorations!"

"I can't believe you thought you were going to get out of it!"

"I can't believe you lied to me about it!"

"I can't believe you bought my stupid lie!"

"I can't believe we're having this conversation! New topic please."

"Okay." Carmen thought for a minute, "Can you believe we've only got six and a half more weeks until our niece arrives?"

"No, it's mind blowing to even think that 32 weeks ago she was just a bunch of cells and now she's this complete little person."

"Do you think she'll come on her due date?"

Tibby laughed, "If she's anything like her mother, Miss Unpredictable Bridget Vreeland, then no."

"You've got a point."

"Oh, guess who's coming to the shower together?"

"Who?" Carmen was intrigued.

Tibby paused to create a little suspense, "Our mothers!"

"Are you kidding me?"

"No, they're all piling into my mom's mini-van and coming up. They said they wanted to spend some quality time together."

"Weird!"

"I know, it's like they spent all those years barely talking and then we go off to college and they're suddenly best friends again."

Carmen shrugged, "I guess they needed each other for comfort in our absence." Just as Ari, Alice, and Christina had bonded over the arrivals of their eldest daughters into their lives, they had bonded again over their departures into the adult world. Just as they had helped one another cope with the presence of a newborn, they helped one another cope with the absence of a daughter.

"What do you think happened between them to cause all those years of uncomfortable silence?"

"Marly happened." Carmen answered immediately, it was clear she'd thought about the original Septembers' past many times before.

"But that wasn't their fault, nothing could have saved Marly."

"No I know that, but she was a part of them, being together after that probably felt like trying to put together a puzzle with one of the pieces missing. We were too self-involved to realize this when we were younger, but they lost somebody really special too."

Tibby sighed with the realization, "They probably loved Marly……"

"….as much as we love Bee."

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"Hello?" Tibby answered the phone.

"Hey Tibs, it's Len, Bee and I are coming up so make sure everyone hides."

"Ever though it's not a surprise?

"Yes."

"Why?"

Lena sighed, "Because it's fun!"

"Okay Lenny, see you in a couple of minutes."

When Lena and Bridget walked into the apartment, everyone jumped out and yelled '**SURPRISE!'**.

"You guys, I had no idea! Thank you all so much for coming." Bridget addressed the room full of friends and co-workers. She directed a small smile towards Carmen, Tibby, and Lena and winked.

"The place looks great, Carma!"

"Thanks Lenny." Tibby cleared her throat, "Oh yeah, Tibby helped too."

"Well, it looks wonderful, thank you." Bridget said, pulling them all into a group hug. They were interrupted by a knock at the door. "More party guests? I'll get it."

"Bridget!" Effie Kaligaris squealed from the doorway, "God you look gorgeous!" She dropped her present by the door and kissed Bridget's cheek.

"Effie, I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Hey Eff!" Lena wrapped her arms around her baby sister and kissed her, "I didn't think you were going to be able to get away from school."

"Well I was. I couldn't miss Bridget's baby shower"

"Effie, it's so good to see you again!" Carmen said, taking her turn to hug the girl and then moving out of the way so Tibby could see Effie.

"Got any new boyfriends?" Tibby teased lovingly.

Effie smiled, "Don't I always?" She turned her attention to Bridget and took her hand. "So, tell me about this daughter of yours, when is she due?"

"Six and a half weeks."

"Not long at all!"

"I know!"

"Is she busy? Mom said you never stopped moving even before you were born."

"She's constantly moving, do you want to feel?"

Effie looked a little unsure, "Well…."

"Go on Eff," Lena nudged her a little, "It's really neat."

"Okay," Effie allowed Bridget to place her hand on her belly. "Wow, that's really amazing! I think it's safe to say she's going to be a soccer star."

"Well, it is in her genes."

Effie glanced around the room, "Speaking of genes, where are the moms?"

"They're running a little late." Tibby said.

"I can't believe I'm actually on time to something and mom's late."

"The world must be coming to an end!" Lena laughed, taking a playful stab at her sister's propensity to be late to everything. Effie stuck out her tongue.

"Well, I'm going to get a drink from the kitchen, does anyone need anything?"

"No thanks, Effie."

Bridget looked around the room, "I should probably mingle shouldn't I?"

Tibby shrugged, "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. It's your party."

"Look at us, years after high school and it's still the same story, the four of us hanging out in a corner together while everyone else parties around us."

Lena considered Bridget's observation for a moment, "I don't necessarily ever want that to change."

"Me either." Bridget, Tibby, and Carmen all chimed in at the same time.

There was another knock at the door, "Ten bucks says that's our mothers. We should probably all go to the door so that one person doesn't get caught in all three hugs at once." Tibby said with a grin.

"Agreed."

The four friends stood side by side as Tibby flung open the door and Ari, Christina, Alice and Katherine all rushed into the apartment.

"Our girls!" Christina cried, wrapping her arms around both Lena and Carmen and smothering them in kisses. Alice was busy hugging Tibby and Ari had taken Bridget into her arms. The next few minutes were full of confusion, laugher, and tears as the three mothers got reacquainted with their daughters. Tibby's seven year old sister Katherine was momentarily forgotten in all the confusion.

"Bridget, sweetheart, you look fabulous! Pregnancy certainly agrees with you." Alice commented once the confusion had died down a little.

Christina hugged Bridget and kissed her cheek. "We are so proud of you darling." She whispered into her ear.

Bridget felt a small hand exploring the surface of her belly and looked down to see Katherine, "Happy new baby Bridget!"

"Thank you sweetie!" She hugged the small child, who was the spitting image of Tibby.

"Thank you for inviting me to your special party."

"Well thank you for coming."

"Where are Nicky and Ryan?" Tibby asked, suddenly noticing the absence of the boys.

Christina waved her hand, "Oh, we left them at home with their fathers."

"Because it's a girls only party, right mommy?" Alice nodded and Katherine looked pleased with herself for remembering the fact. Katherine was right, the only two men that had been invited to the party were Bridget's dad and Perry, and neither one of them had shown.

"No guys? Seriously?" Effie looked around the room disappointed.

Lena nodded, "You'll survive Eff."

"That's debatable."

"Come on honey; let's get you off your feet." Alice said, taking Bridget's hand and leading her to the couch. Everyone else took a seat, but Katherine remained standing.

"What's wrong Katie?" Carmen asked, noticing the pout that had developed on her face.

"Bridget always lets me sit on her lap but there's no room for me on her lap anymore."

Bridget tried not to laugh at Katherine's predicament, "I'm sorry kiddo, I know she's taking up a lot of space now, but I promise just as soon as she's out you can sit on my lap again. I bet Carmen would let you sit on her lap." Katherine looked to Carmen for her approval and Carmen nodded, happy to snuggle with Katherine for a while.

Alice smiled and patted Bridget's hand, "Not long now, huh?"

"Not long at all."

"You must be terribly uncomfortable by now." Christina observed sympathetically. "I know I was."

Bridget smiled, comforted by the knowledge that what she was feeling wasn't unusual, "Maybe just a little uncomfortable."

"Are you having bad Braxton Hicks?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Well, your mom had them really bad too."

"Really?" Bridget brightened, excited to have found a new special bond to her mother.

"Oh yeah, one time your dad was at work and they were really painful and she was getting scared so she called me and I took her to the hospital. We must have been quite a sight, two huge pregnant ladies." Alice smiled at the memory of Marly.

"Have you picked out a name for her yet?"

"Yes, but we're keeping it a secret until she's born."

"Do they know?" Ari asked, indicating the other three Septembers.

Bridget laughed, "Are you kidding me? I couldn't keep a secret from those three if I wanted to."

Christina sighed, "Well, I still can't believe that one of our little baby girls is having a baby! You're making us feel old, Bridget. It seems like just yesterday you four were in diapers."

Bridget laughed a little, "You're not old!" She shifted on the couch, trying desperately to find a more comfortable position and to relieve some of the pressure on her back. Lena picked up on Bridget's discomfort immediately and starting rubbing her lower back for her. _'Thank you!_' Bridget mouthed.

'_You're welcome.'_ Lena mouthed back.

"What's wrong?" Alice asked, noticing the exchange between the two friends.

"Bee's been having some back pain these last couple of weeks."

"Why didn't you say something sooner? Tibby dear, can you get me a tennis ball?" Ari's accent was as thick as ever.

"A tennis ball?"

"Trust me, Lena and Effie both put a lot of pressure on my spine for the last two months of my pregnancies."

"Okay…."

"There should be one in my closet, Tibs. I knew playing tennis would come in handy eventually." Carmen joked.

"Here you go." Tibby handed Ari the tennis ball.

"Lean forward a little sweetie." Ari instructed Bridget, applying pressure to her lower back with the ball.

"Oh my God, that's amazing!"

"Here, who's going to be the labor coach?"

"Me!" Ari raised her eyebrow and gave her daughter a look of surprise before handing her the ball. "You practice."

"So Lena's your labor coach, huh? I hear Tibby also comes highly recommended." Christina said with a smile.

"Well, Lena's been taking the classes with me, so she's the official coach. But Tibby and Carmen are going to be with us too. I just hope we're prepared."

"Oh honey, nothing can prepare you for it, but I know you'll do just fine."

"I hope you're right."

"How's the ball working out for you Bee?" Lena asked, afraid she may have been applying too much pressure to her friend's spine.

Bridget smiled, "Mr. Tennis Ball is my new best friend."

"We've been replaced girls!" Lena joked.

Tibby waved her hand in dismissal. "Mr. Tennis Ball can't replace us, he's totally useless if we're not around to use him on Bee. Without us, he is nothing!"

Alice laughed, "Well, I'm glad we could help! But sweetheart, you should have called us sooner! Between the three of us, we've been pregnant seven times. We know every trick in the book."

"I'll put you at the top of my speed-dial."

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After an afternoon of talking, enjoying delicious cake, and opening what seemed like hundreds of beautiful gifts, all the guests who weren't family went home. This left the smaller group of nine women to enjoy a quiet dinner together. After dinner, they all sat around in the living room laughing, talking, and enjoying each others company.

Katherine sat beside Bridget on the couch, her little hands continually searching Bridget's belly for signs of movement. "Bridget?"

"Yeah Katie-Kate?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure kiddo, shoot."

"If Tibby, Lena, and Carmen are your baby's aunts, what am I?"

"You're her aunt too."

Katherine's eyes brightened at the prospect, "Really?"

"Of course, Effie's her aunt too."

"Wow, she's a really lucky baby. That's a lot of aunts."

"You're right Katherine; she's the luckiest baby in the world."

"Hey Katie, can I borrow Bridget for a minute?" Lena asked, taking Bridget's hand and helping her stand.

"We'll be right back." Carmen promised the rest of the group before following her three friends out of the room.

"Close your eyes." Lena instructed her friends. They were standing outside the door to the nursery. Once they complied, she grabbed their hands and led them into the room. "Okay, open them."

Bridget gasped, "Lena, it's _beautiful_!" She wrapped her arms tightly around her friend and pulled her in as close as her belly would allow.

"I don't think I've ever seen a nursery as gorgeous as this one." Tibby was right, the nursery was stunning. The walls were painted a soft pink with a mint green border. Everything in the nursery matched the colors on the wall and the crib sheets were monogrammed with the baby's initials. Above the white crib in the corner, Lena had mounted white decorative letters spelling out the baby's name. On the other walls, Lena had stenciled the words _live, love, laugh, hope and dream_. Lena had framed a copy of the manifesto for their pants right beside a copy of the manifesto for the baby pants.

Carmen motioned towards a picture on the wall, "Look Bee."

Bridget slowly approached the large photo that blurred as she allowed her tears to fall freely. The picture was a close-up of a young mother cradling her blonde toddler to her shoulder. The mother's hand rested lightly on the toddler's head, her wedding ring reflecting as much light as the toddler's golden locks. Bridget ran her fingers over the photograph before turning to Lena. She paused, searching for the words she wanted to say. Unable to find an adequate way to express herself with words, she settled on hugging Lena again.

"I just wanted to make sure she was always with you." Lena whispered into her ear. Tibby sniffled and Carmen wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Come here you two." Lena said, opening her arms wider to include Tibby and Carmen in the embrace.

"I love you guys _so_ much." Bridget's voice was muffled by Lena's shoulder.

"We love you too, more than you'll ever know."

After what could arguably be the longest hug in the history of the Earth ended, Tibby spoke. "We should probably get back out there."

"Tibs is right."

"Are you coming Bee?" Lena asked.

"Yeah, just give me a minute."

"Okay."

Bridget spent the next few minutes exploring every inch of the nursery by herself. Instead of joining the group back in the living room immediately, Bridget stood in the hallway, rubbing her belly contently and taking in the scene that was playing before her. Lena and Katherine were snuggled on the couch together reading a story, while conversations and laughter went on all around them. Bridget smiled as she looked at her big, crazy, loving family. They might not have all been related by blood, but they were a family just the same.


	13. Author's Note

Hello to all my faithful and wonderful readers out there! I don't usually do this, because I feel it is my responsibility as person writing this story to write it with only my ideas. But you have all been so supportive, faithful, and wonderful about reading and reviewing that I wanted to give you an opportunity to give me your opinions. We're clearly nearing the big even here, but what do you guys want to see? Do you want more chapters before the birth or are you as ready for Bridget to have the baby as she is? Is there anything you would like to see that I'm not doing? Keep in mind I already have a general idea of what I want to do, but I did want to give you the options to express yourselves before anything was set in stone. Please, no baby name suggestions because that _is _already set in stone. So send me a message or leave a review if you want to give me you input! Thanks again for being such great readers and reviewers!

K


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: Once again, thank you for all your reviews, input, and suggestion. Don't worry; this story will not be over when the baby arrives. I'm as anxious to watch the girls interact with their newest addition as you all are!**

Carmen stood outside the apartment door, her arms full of groceries, cursing herself for thinking she could carry everything she'd bought in one trip. Unwilling to upset the delicate balance of the stuff in her arms, she tapped the door with her foot a few times. "Hello, is anybody in there? I could really use some help out here!"

"Carmabelle?" Tibby asked from behind the closed door.

"Of course it's me, who else would it be? Open the door please."

Tibby opened the door and laughed, "God, did you leave anything for the other customers?" Tibby took a few bags from Carmen and walked into the kitchen.

Carmen followed her and started putting everything she'd bought away. "I just figured once the baby comes it will be hard to get out, so I stocked up. Plus I bought all of Bee's favorites."

"That was really sweet of you!"

"Speaking of Bee, have she and Lena called yet?"

Tibby shook her head, "No, I just got home a few minutes ago and ordered some pizza but I haven't heard from them."

"It sucks we couldn't go to the appointment with them!"

"I know, stupid work. I envy Lena getting to have every summer off."

"I hope everything went okay."

Tibby sat down at the kitchen table. "Oh, I'm sure everything's fine."

"We're home!" Lena called loudly from the doorway, "Where are you guys?"

"Kitchen." Carmen called back.

"Hey Bee, how'd the appointment go?"

"Don't ask!" Bridget said with more attitude than she intended. "I have to pee yet again. I'll be right back."

"So I take it the appointment didn't go so well?" Tibby whispered.

Lena grabbed a water from the fridge and joined her two friends at the table. "Well, it was fine until Bridget asked the doctor what she could do to induce labor and the doctor suggested sex. Then things just got ugly."

"Uh oh…."

"Yeah, she called poor Eric from the car and begged him to come here and sleep with her so that she'd go into labor. He was waiting to board his flight to Australia."

"Poor thing, she's miserable."

Tibby sighed, "I know, and she's not even due for another ten days."

"Well…." Lena stopped when she saw Bridget enter the kitchen again. "Hey sweetie, come sit." She patted the chair beside her.

"So what did the doctor say Bee?"

"Well, you know those pains I've been having for the past week that we thought for sure were minor contractions and probably dilating me at least a little?" Tibby and Carmen nodded, "Well, apparently they weren't because I'm still only dilated one and a half centimeters. Most women are at least two or three centimeters before they even go into labor! They had me hooked up to a monitor for over half an hour thinking maybe I was having contractions I wasn't feeling, but I'm having none. I don't think she wants to come out!"

"But the doctor did say that the baby had dropped into the correct position for birth, so she's made some progress."

"Yeah, and her progress has put more pressure on my back and bladder. And, to top it all off, my doctor was a little rough when she checked my dilation and now my uterus is all crampy."

"Oh honey," Tibby kissed Bridget's head, "I know it's hard and I know you're tired, but you've got to try and relax. She'll come when she's ready."

Bridget sighed heavily, "I know, I've just never been so uncomfortable in my entire life."

"Well, we've got a nice girls night in planned to take your mind of things. We rented a bunch of movies and TV shows you like, Tibby ordered a pizza, and I bought lots of chocolate and junk food."

"Thanks guys, that sounds like a lot of fun." She smiled sincerely.

"Why don't you go lie down and rest until the pizza gets here?"

"Okay." Bridget stood up and winced. "Lena, will you come lie with me for a while and rub my back? It's really hurting me right now." She felt bad taking advantage of Lena and her labor coach status, but Lena had the magic touch and was the only person who could offer her any relief.

"Of course, call us when the pizza gets here." Lena stood to follow Bridget out of the room.

Tibby caught her arm, "Keep an eye on her Lenny."

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By the time Lena got to Bridget's room, she was already lying on the bed staring at the TV. "Where does it hurt?" Lena asked, lying down beside Bridget on the bed.

"Everywhere," Bridget responded, blinking back tears. Then she reconsidered and placed her hand on her lower back, "Maybe just here."

Lena frowned a little and started to gently rub Bridget's back. She hated to see her friend so miserable. "She'll be her soon Bee and then you'll have this beautiful baby to hold and all this will be worth it."

"I know, and I know that I shouldn't rush things and that if she came a little late instead of early or on her due date that Eric could probably make it to the birth, but I don't think I can take much more of this."

"Well, maybe you won't have to. Dr. Grey said there was no way to tell when you'd go into labor."

"Yeah, but she also said it didn't look like she was coming anytime soon." Bridget winced again and rubbed her stomach, "Stupid Dr. Grey and her stupid exam. Now I've got cramps on top of everything else."

Lena looked concerned, "You sure that's all it is?"

"Yes, it always happens to me."

"If you're sure….."

"I am." Bridget poked her stomach gently, "You, little lady, need to come out soon because we all want to meet you really bad."

"Yeah," Lena added, "You've hung out in your mommy long enough and now it's time to come out and play."

"I hope she's not a stickler for punctuality and planning to arrive right on her due date."

Lena laughed, "Or worse, after it!"

Bridget groaned, "Don't say that!"

"Sorry."

"So you were born early and I was born fast. All I have to do is combine our mothers' birth experiences and I'll be a happy woman." Bridget placed her hands on her belly when she felt the familiar kicks of her daughter, "Yes sweetie, we're talking about you."

"Is she kicking?"

"Yep." Bridget took Lena's hand and placed it on her belly.

Lena smiled, "I swear she gets stronger every day. I thought babies were supposed to slow down as they got closer to delivery."

"I thought so too." Bridget paused, "I feel bad for freaking out on Eric earlier. I really didn't mean to."

"Eh, that's okay; you've carried his baby for the last nine months I'd say you're entitled to a little freak out."

"I think he feels really guilty about not being here."

"I'm sure he does."

"I wish he wouldn't."

"Is he getting excited?"

"God yes, the poor man, every time I call he thinks I'm calling to tell him I've gone into labor."

"I can't imagine what he must be feeling, because we're nervous wrecks and we're right here with you."

"Hey guys, the pizza's here." Tibby said, walking into the room and sitting on the bed beside Bridget. "How are you feeling Bee, are you still having cramps?"

"On and off, but I swear it's just from the exam."

Tibby used her nurses' voice and ran her hand over the surface of Bridget's belly, "And on a scale of one to ten how bad is the pain?"

"A six and a half, but it's been a six and a half for a week. I'm okay, I promise."

Tibby sighed, not completely convinced. "Okay, come on; let's go eat before the pizza gets cold.

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Carmen frowned as she watched Bridget pick at her pizza, "What's wrong Bee, you don't like it?"

Bridget shook her head, "No, it's really good; I'm just not very hungry."

"You need to eat to keep your strength up."

"I'll save it for later." Bridget said, walking into the kitchen and wrapping her pizza up. Lena shot Tibby a concerned glance from across the table and Tibby just shrugged. Bridget joined them back at the table.

"So, what do you want to watch tonight Bridge?" Carmen asked, finishing her own piece of pizza.

"Hmmm," Bridget thought for a moment, "Can we have a Gilmore Girls marathon? I'm in a Gilmore kind of mood."

"Sure, I'll go put the disc in."

"And I'll clean up dinner."

Lena laughed, "Tibby, we ordered pizza and ate off paper plates, there's hardly any cleaning up to do!"

"That is precisely why I volunteered."

"The DVD's ready!" Carmen called from the living room.

"Come on, Bee." Once in the living room, Lena sat on the couch and placed a pillow on her lap for Bridget's head. "Lie down, you'll be more comfortable." Lena carefully pressed the heel of her hand into Bridget's back and Bridget winced. "Sorry, too much pressure?"

"No." Bridget ran her hand over her belly. "Just a cramp, let's just start the DVD."

Lena wasn't convinced that what Bridget was feeling was 'just a cramp' and apparently, neither was Tibby. She spent more time watching Bridget than she did watching the Gilmore Girls. Lena observed Bridget and noticed that every fifteen minutes she would shift uncomfortably and massage her belly. Lena didn't mention to Bridget that she thought she might actually be in labor; she simply rubbed her back a little harder and stroked her hair soothingly. What Lena didn't know was that Bridget also suspected she was in labor, she was just afraid to jinx things.

"Hey you guys?" Bridget whispered half way through the second episode of Gilmore Girls when the pain got too much for her to stand.

"Yeah Bee?"

"I think I'm in labor."


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys, please continue to review! I really hope you like this chapter; I sure was excited to write it! You all are awesome! The toast to the Pants does not belong to me, it belongs to the brilliant Ann Brashares.**

"Seriously?" Carmen exclaimed seconds after Bridget made her big announcement.

"Seriously." Bridget confirmed, sitting up beside Lena while her friend continued to rub her aching back.

Tibby got up from her seat across the room and sat on the other side of Bridget. "How far apart are the contractions?"

"About fifteen minutes apart."

"How long have you been having them, since your appointment this afternoon?"

Bridget shrugged, "I guess that's around when they started. I wasn't sure that they were contractions then, but I'm pretty sure now. They've gotten stronger since this afternoon and they just feel different than the Braxton Hicks I was having."

Tibby smiled and looked at her watch, "So your appointment was over at 4:30 and it's 9:00 now, that's four and a half hours of regular contractions. Sounds like labor to me. You better thank that doctor of yours next time you see her."

"Why?"

"Because that rough exam she gave you was probably just enough to get your labor started. I'm sure that's what she was trying to do."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but it only works if a baby is ready to be born, so she probably didn't say anything incase it didn't start your labor." She patted Bridget's leg, "I'm going to go call your doctor and let her know what's going on."

Carmen looked confused, "Um, shouldn't we be getting you to the hospital?"

Bridget shook her head, "Not until the contractions are five minutes apart or my water breaks. Until then, it's really better if we just hang out here."

"Or when you decide that you want something for the pain. Remember Bee, it's your body and your decision." Lena said, having finally decided to stop simply observing the situation that was unfolding before her.

"You could go on and put our bags in the car though, Carma. That would help out a lot." Bridget offered, sensing Carmen's desire to be doing _something _to help.

"Okay, I'll be back!"

Lena stopped rubbing Bridget's back long enough to wrap her arms around her friend and give her a hug. "You're going to have a baby!" She whispered happily.

"I know!" Bridget whispered back, the excitement building in her voice. "I just hope it's not a false alarm."

"I have a pretty good feeling that it's not."

"I think you're probably right." She said, resting her hands on her bulging stomach.

Lena ran her hand gently over Bridget's tense belly, "It's hard to believe that it's going to be empty soon."

"I know, I've kind of gotten used to it."

"Okay," Tibby said as she flopped down on the couch next to Bridget. "I talked to your doctor and she's already on call at the hospital. You're all pre-registered and they've got a room waiting for you. She said we can just come in whenever you're ready."

"And they know I want an epidural?"

Tibby laughed, "Yeah, they know you want an epidural." She paused, looking around the living room, "Hey, where's Carma?"

"She's putting all our bags in the car."

"But it could be hours before we're ready to leave."

Bridget smiled, "I know, but she wanted to help."

"Maybe you should call Eric now and let him know what's going on." Lena said, handing Bridget the phone.

"Oh my God, I almost forgot abo…." Bridget broke off mid sentence and winced in pain. "Ouch!"

Lena slipped her hand behind Bridget and rubbed her back in an attempt to relieve some of her pain, "Breathe Bee, in and out." She reminded her gently.

"It's almost over Bee." Tibby reassured her as she offered Bridget her hand to squeeze.

Once her contraction was over, Bridget sighed heavily and let go of Tibby's hand, "It's going to be a very long night."

"Twelve minutes." Lena said with a smile.

"Huh?"

"Twelve minutes, that contraction was only twelve minutes from your last one."

"Good, you're making progress!"

Bridget grinned, "Well, then I better call this little girl's daddy and let him know what's going on." She dialed the phone and waited, "I hope he isn't on his flight yet."

"_Hello?"_ Eric finally answered.

"Hey Eric, it's me." Lena couldn't help but smile as she watched Bridget melt at the sound of Eric's voice.

"_Hey baby, I was just about to board my flight, I'm glad you caught me."_

"Guess what I'm doing!"

"_Um…… beating Carmen, Lena, and Tibby at Monopoly?"_

"No…." Bridget laughed a little, pleased with her guessing game. "I'm having contractions!" After that, there was silence on the line for a good full minute. "Eric, you okay?"

"_Yeah, I just…_" He stumbled over his words, "_you're in labor_?"

"Early labor." Bridget corrected him.

"_Are you okay?"_

"I'm fine. I mean, it already hurts like hell but Lena, Tibby, and Carmen are taking good care of me."

"_Are you on your way to the hospital?"_

"No, I have to wait until my contractions are closer together."

Eric sounded concerned, "_Just promise me you won't wait so long that our daughter is delivered by Tibby on the couch in your apartment."_

Bridget laughed, "I promise, because there are no drugs here and I want the drugs."

"_I can't believe our little girl picks the very night that I'm boarding a flight to Australia to be born. What are we going to do? I can't have my cell phone on during the flight."_

"Well, use one of those phones they stick in the back of the chair. Call Tibby's cell every hour or so for an update. When my contractions get closer you can call more often."

"_Are you sure?"_

"I'm positive. I promise Eric, everything is fine."

"_And you've packed the video and digital cameras?"_

"Yeah, the cameras are already in the car." Bridget looked to Carmen, who had joined them a few minutes earlier, for confirmation.

"_Okay, you go rest up and take good care of yourself okay?"_

"I will."

"_Hey, Bee…."_

"Yeah?"

"_We're going to have a daughter soon."_ Bridget didn't have to see Eric's face to know he was grinning proudly.

"I know!" Bridget said, wearing a smile to match Eric's.

"_I love you, Bee."_

"I love you too, Eric." Bridget hung up the phone and was met with excited stares from her three friends.

"So….." Tibby started.

Carmen finished the sentence for her, "Is he excited?"

Bridget nodded, "He's over the moon." She shifted against Lena's hand, trying to find a comfortable position.

Lena's eyes got wide, "Are you having another contraction?"

Bridget shook her head, "No, my back just never stops hurting."

Carmen frowned, "What can we do to help, Bee?"

"Yeah, what's going to help you relax? Do you want to watch a movie, go for a walk, have a little something to eat?"

"A warm bath might really help your back some." Tibby suggested.

"That sounds nice, then maybe I can eat something and we can watch a movie."

"Just make sure you time your contractions while you're in there."

"I will….hey, Tibs?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you still have that video you took of us at Gilda's that first summer we got the Pants?"

"Yeah, I just saw it the other day, why?"

Bridget shrugged, "I'd just kind of like to watch it together."

Lena smiled, "That's a really good idea!"

"You go take your bath and we'll get everything set up, okay?" Carmen said, standing to help Bridget to her feet.

"Okay."

"Call us if you need anything."

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"Bee's going to love this!" Lena whispered excitedly as she set up their four personalized candles around the Pants.

Carmen tossed a bag of deformed cheese puffs onto the coffee table. "I know, we're so smart!"

"And we didn't even have to commit a felony!"

Tibby laughed, "Yeah, well Bridget can hardly be 'breaking and entering' while she's in labor."

"Hey guys." Bridget said, walking into the living room.

Lena smiled and pulled Bridget down beside her on the couch. "Hey Bee, how are you feeling?"

Bridget gave out an exhausted sigh and closed her eyes, "Like I'm in labor." She took Lena's hand and pressed it into her lower back, "Rub please."

"The bath didn't help any?"

"It helped a little." Bridget opened her eyes and smiled when she noticed the stuff on the coffee table, "What did you three do?"

"We just thought tonight would be a really good night for our annual Pants ceremony."

Carmen smiled, "Yeah, the Pants have always been about change and things are definitely about to change."

Bridget smiled as she ran her fingers over the years of stitching that had been lovingly added to the Pants. "They have seen a lot of change, haven't they?" The Pants had been there through weddings, births, funerals, and all that came in between. They had been there for them during their times of separation and their times together. Soon, the Pants would be there with them during the biggest change of their lives. They would be there in the delivery room, covering Lena's butt as their little world grew from four to five.

Tibby handed Bridget a glass of sparkling grape juice and then held up her glass to toast, "To Bridget,"

"And Eric,"

"And the beautiful baby girl they are about to bring into this world," Carmen said, placing her hand on Bridget's belly.

Bridget smiled, momentarily forgetting the intense ache in her back, "And the Pants,"

"And the Sisterhood,"

Carmen followed Lena, repeating the words they'd said many times before, "And this moment. And this summer. And the rest of our lives."

"Together and apart."

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"Hello?" Tibby said, putting down her coffee cup long enough to answer her cell phone.

"_Hey Tibby, it's Eric. How's Bridget?"_

Tibby laughed a little, "Well, she's not too terribly fond of you right now."

"_Is it bad?"_

"It's normal but she's really in a lot of pain. She's pretty miserable and just can't get comfortable."

"_How far apart are her contractions now?"_

"Still seven to eight minutes apart."

"_They were seven to eight minutes apart two and a half hours ago!"_

Tibby tried not to sound annoyed with Eric for stating the painfully obvious, "I know that, Eric."

"_Where is she?"_

"Lena and Carmen are lying down with her."

"_Oh…."_

"Eric, I promise you I am keeping a very close eye on Bridget and the baby. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to either one of them."

"_Okay. Can you tell her I love her and that I'm very proud of her?"_

"Of course, call back in a little bit for an update." She said, closing her phone and walking back into Bridget's room. Bridget was lying curled up on her side between Carmen and Lena.

"Just a little bit longer and this one will be over Bee." Lena said encouragingly as she rubbed Bridget's back. She was using Bridget's 'pep talk' voice.

Carmen pushed a stray blonde hair off of Bridget's sweaty forehead, "You're doing so great!"

Bridget's voice broke as she tried not to cry, even though her contraction was subsiding. "That was a bad one."

"I know it was."

"How's she doing?" Tibby whispered to Lena.

"They're getting stronger and longer but not any closer together."

"Okay, Lenny why don't you go call your mom and let her know what's going on. Carmen, can you go get the car?"

"Sure thing." Carmen said, following Lena out of the room.

"Bee?" Tibby asked, lying down beside Bridget and rubbing her back for her.

"Yeah?"

Tibby approached the subject carefully, unsure of how Bridget would respond. "I think it's time for us to go to the hospital."

"But my contractions aren't five minutes apart yet."

"No, but it's five in the morning and you've been in labor for twelve and a half hours and your contractions probably aren't as close as they should be."

"But….." Bridget started to protest. Even when she was in pain, she was still stubborn.

"Bee, they can give you an epidural and break your water for you and you could have that little girl out by eight."

"Out by eight?"

"It's a possibility."

Bridget thought for a minute, "Okay, let's go have a baby."

Lena stood in the kitchen, pacing back and forth nervously as she left her message. "Hey mom, it's Lena. Bridget's been in labor all night and it looks like she's getting close so we're heading over to the hospital. We're all good, tired, but good. Please call Alice and Christina and let them know the baby is coming. We all have our cell phones and hopefully next time we talk she'll have a healthy baby girl. Love you."

Lena almost hung up the phone, but she hesitated and dialed another familiar number instead. She wasn't the least bit surprised to be greeted by another answering machine. "Hi Mr. Vreeland, it's Lena. I just wanted to let you know that Bridget's in labor and we're taking her to the hospital. Everything is going really good, not as fast as Marl…." Lena paused, stumbling over her words. "Not as fast as Marly's labor, but still good. You're going to be a grandpa soon and I just thought you might want to see your granddaughter after she's born. I know Bridget would really like it if you came. I'll try calling again later." Lena hung up the phone and turned around to find Tibby and Bridget coming out of Bridget's room.

"Who was that?" Tibby asked as Lena placed a comforting hand on Bridget's back.

"Nobody." Lena answered, shooting a warning glance at Tibby.

Bridget paused in the doorway as they made their way out of the apartment. "You okay, Bee?"

"Yeah…." She said smiling, "I was just thinking that the next time we walk through these doors we'll have a baby with us.

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By 5:35 am, Bridget was settled into a hospital bed and was in the care of a very cheery young nurse named Rebecca.

"Let me just get you hooked up to this fetal monitor and we'll see how things are. This will monitor your baby's heart rate and also keep track of your contractions." She explained, lifting Bridget's hospital gown to reveal her swollen belly. Rebecca then placed the instrument on Bridget's stomach and smiled. "Your baby has a nice, strong heartbeat. It looks like the baby is handling things just perfectly. Do you know what you're having?"

Bridget smiled proudly, "A little girl!"

"Well, she's doing just fine." Rebecca said, returning Bridget's smile. "Let me just get an IV started and then Dr. Grey will come in and check things out, okay?"

Bridget's blue eyes got wide at the sight of the needle and she swallowed hard. Whenever she saw a needle, all she could think about was the one sticking out of her mother's arm. "Hey…." Lena cooed, taking Bridget's hand in hers and looking her straight in the eye. "You're doing such a good job."

"Yeah Bee, we're so proud of you!" Carmen joined in, in an attempt to further distract Bridget.

"All done." Rebecca said, patting her hand.

Lena studied Bridget's pale face with concerned eyes, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Lenny. I'm a little thirsty though."

"You want me to get you some ice chips?" Tibby offered.

"Ice chips?"

"Yeah, that's all they want you to have until the baby's out."

Bridget sighed and sunk back down into her pillow, "This labor stuff just keeps getting better and better."

Just as Tibby was about to leave in search of ice chips, Dr. Grey entered the room.

"Good morning everyone, I heard you're going on thirteen hours now, Bridget." She smiled sympathetically and patted Bridget's shin. "Let's see where those thirteen hours have gotten you." Bridget squeezed Lena and Carmen's hands and tried not to move as the doctor completed her exam. "Well, you're at six and a half centimeters, which isn't bad progress but you're not dilated as much as I'd like you to be after all that work you've done. I want to break your water for you, but we have two options."

"Okay," Bridget waited for Dr. Grey to continue.

"I can wait to break your water until they put your epidural in, but I have to warn you, sometimes epidurals can stall labor even more. Or, I can break your water now and then put a call in to Anesthesiology. They usually take about forty-five minutes to get down here. It's totally up to you because your baby is handling the stress of the contractions beautifully."

"Break my water now; I don't want to stall things any longer."

"Okay, this is probably going to be a little uncomfortable and then you'll feel a gush of water."

Bridget winced in pain and squeezed Lena's hand hard, "A little uncomfortable?"

"It'll all be over soon, Bee." Lena reminded her, stroking her hair soothingly.

"The fluid is nice and clear Bridget. Everything looks good." Dr. Grey said, removing her gloves. "I'll be back to check on you in a little bit."

"Oh God, contraction….." Bridget moaned, rolling over on her side so Lena could rub her back.

Carmen held Bridget's hand, "She really wasn't kidding when she said it would get things moving, was she?"

"Hey Bee," Carmen said softly, brushing her hand across Bridget's forehead "Eric called, he says he loves you so much and that he would give anything to be here with you."

"Well, I hope he's enjoying his first class flight while I'm trying to push a pers…." Bridget broke off mid-sentence and moaned.

"Where's the damn anesthesiologist?" Tibby asked angrily as she watched yet another contraction rack Bridget's body.

"Poor Bee," Lena said, rubbing Bridget's tight belly. She could feel the contraction with her hand.

"It really hurts!" Bridget cried.

Carmen ran a cold, wet cloth over Bridget's forehead. "I know it does sweetie, but you're doing such a good job."

After a few more seconds of agony, Bridget took in a deep, cleansing breath. "It's over."

"How are we doing in here?" Dr. Grey asked, entering the room and approaching the end of the bed.

"We'd all be a lot better if she could get that epidural we talked about earlier." Tibby shot back sarcastically.

"I'm very sorry; there was an emergency that delayed things. Now let's see where you are. Bridget, can you roll over on your back so I can check you?" Despite having found a position that was remotely comfortable, Bridget complied. "Oh my!" Dr. Grey exclaimed after examining Bridget.

Lena's eyes got big, "What?"

"Well, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is you're fully dilated and we should have a baby within the next twenty minutes."

"What's the bad news?" Bridget asked concerned.

"It's too late to give you an epidural, honey. This baby is coming right now."

"What? No, I need that epidural. It's in the plan!" Panic was rising in Bridget's voice.

"Now, we can give you some pain meds through your IV but I'd really rather not do that this close to delivery because it could make your baby sleepy and slow down her breathing."

Bridget shook her head, "No, I don't want that!"

"Okay, we'll get things set up and when you're ready you can start to push."

"That c-section is looking really good right about now." Bridget said, tears streaming down her face. "I don't think I can do this."

"Bee," Lena cooed, kissing her forehead. "Of course you can do this. We're all right here with you and we're not going anywhere. You can squeeze my hand as hard as you want and squeeze Carmen's hand as hard as you want." Bridget looked to Carmen for approval and she nodded. "Tibby's going to be taking pictures and video for Eric and before you know it she'll be out."

"Okay….." Bridget paused for a moment, gathering her strength, "I think I have to push now."

"Okay, go on Bridget." Dr. Grey encouraged her.

"1…2…3….4" Lena counted softly, just as she'd learned in the childbirth classes.

"Push just a little harder, Bridget. Good girl…"

"6…7…8….9….10" Bridget collapsed back into the pillows, red faced and breathing hard.

"I changed my mind." She whispered to Lena. "I don't want to have a baby anymore."

Lena tried not to laugh, "It's a little too late for that, Bee."

Carmen looked at the print off registering Bridget's contractions, "You've got another one coming, Bee. Get ready….okay, push!"

"I can see her head, Bee!" Tibby said with more excitement and enthusiasm than she'd ever had in her entire life.

Lena stood up to get a quick look at her niece as she entered the world, momentarily forgetting how much she hated blood. "She's got blonde hair!" Lena squealed.

"Bridget, if you can give me one more good push the head will be out."

Bridget drew in another deep breath and pushed hard. "Her head is out! She's got such a nice little head!" Tibby said, wiping the tears off her cheeks with the back of her sleeve.

"This really sucks!" Bridget said weakly between pushes.

Carmen pushed the wet, blonde hair off of Bridget's neck, "I know, but one or two more big pushes and she's out."

Motivated by the description of her baby and the desire to end her pain, Bridget used the last bit of strength she had to push as hard as she could. "And we have a baby, born at 7:13 am!" Dr. Grey said, placing the wailing newborn on Bridget's now vacant stomach. The second the baby was out Tibby abandoned her duties as camera woman and rushed to Bridget's side. She took a blanket and began vigorously rubbing the newborn to warm her up and encourage her to cry. In the following moments, their world consisted only of the five of them. There were no doctors, no nurses, just them.

"Hi sweetie!" Bridget whispered, crying as she was overwhelmed by the sheer joy of the moment. She took a quick peak between the newborn's legs and chuckled, "Well, you're definitely not a boy."

Lena could barely see her new niece through all her tears, "She's perfect, Bee."

"Yeah, but she got your feet, Lenny!" Bridget teased as she ran her finger over her daughter's long foot.

"Who wants to cut the cord?" Rebecca asked, holding up a pair of medical scissors.

"Why don't you all do it?" Bridget suggested.

"Really?" Carmen asked.

Bridget smiled, "Really."

"Okay."

"Cut right here." Rebecca said, indicating an area of umbilical cord that had been clamped off close to the baby's body.

Lena looked nervous, "What if we mess up?"

"We won't." Tibby assured her. The three best friends took the scissors and helped officially welcome the newest member of their family into the world.

"We're just going to weigh her and clean her up a little, okay?" Rebecca said as she gently picked the newborn up.

"How does she look?"

"She looks great, Bee. She's nice and pink and her lungs are obviously working well." Tibby said, watching Rebecca examine the baby.

"You were amazing, Bee." Carmen said kissing Bridget's head.

Lena kissed Bridget's head too, "She's right, you were spectacular. Congratulations sweetie! We're so proud of you."

"Well, I couldn't have done it without you guys."

Tibby smiled and squeezed her hand, "Sure you could have, it just wouldn't have been as much fun without us."

After Rebecca had finished examining the baby, she wrapped her up in a blanket and carried her over to Bridget. "Here she is, mommy. Ten fingers and ten toes, she's the picture of health." Rebecca said, placing the wriggling, pink baby girl in Bridget's arms.

"Well, hello there." Bridget cooed softly, kissing the baby's head. "Welcome to the world Ellie Grace."


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N: So sorry this has taken so long guys, life has gotten in the way of my writing. I'm sorry if some of you felt like nothing big happened last chapter, but Bridget did give birth, I thought that was a pretty huge event! Anyway, I hope you continue to enjoy this story! Please read and review. Thank you so much for being such great, loyal readers! The more you review, the faster I write!**

"_Well, hello there." Bridget cooed softly, kissing the baby's head. "Welcome to the world Ellie Grace." _The minute Ellie was placed in her mother's arms, she stopped crying and started to settle down.

"Oh my God," Lena whispered softy, running her finger over Ellie's head. "I can't believe she's here."

Carmen looked at the tiny, pink bundle resting in Bridget's arms and grinned. "Okay, I know people say all babies are beautiful, but she's _really_ beautiful."

Tibby nodded in agreement, "She's all you, Bee."

"You think?"

"Just look at her, she's barely ten minutes old and completely gorgeous!"

"You hear that Ellie? Your aunts think you're gorgeous and so does mommy." Bridget said, taping the baby gently on the nose. "Daddy's going to be so happy you're here sweetie."

Carmen pushed some of Bridget's damp hair off her neck, "He called about ten minutes before you started pushing, so he should call back soon."

"Good," Bridget said, not taking her eyes off Ellie for an instant, "I can't wait to tell him."

"Okay, Bridget," Dr. Grey said softly from the end of the bed, having finished up doing all the necessary medical stuff that needs to be done following a birth. "Everything looks wonderful with both you and the baby. I know you didn't get your epidural like you'd planned, but honestly you couldn't have asked for a less complicated delivery."

Carmen smiled, "Well, Bee's always been a bit of an overachiever."

Dr. Grey returned Carmen's smile and then turned her attention back to Bridget, "You did a wonderful job Bridget, congratulations!"

"Thank you so much for everything."

"You're welcome, sweetie. We'll leave you five alone for a while and then in about half an hour we'll take Ellie down to the nursery to give her a good bath and get some newborn tests done. While she's down there we'll move you onto the mother/baby floor and if you feel up to it you can take a shower."

"Can someone go with her?"

"Of course, one of your friends is more than welcome to go with her." Dr. Grey said before turning to leave the new family alone in their happiness.

As soon as Dr. Grey left the room Lena, Tibby, and Carmen carefully joined Bridget and baby Ellie on the bed. Bridget smiled when they did, happy in her realization that nothing in their friendship had changed with the arrival of the baby.

"I still can't believe she's actually here." Lena said with a smile, looking at her niece.

Bridget laughed softly, "Honestly, I can't either and she came out of me!"

"God, she's so gorgeous."

"Look at those pretty blue eyes! She's really alert for a newborn, Bee." Tibby said.

Bridget smiled, "So, which one of her aunts wants to hold her first?"

Tibby gently bumped her shoulder against Bridget's, "I think Lenny should hold her first since she's been the official back rubber for the past two months."

"Are you guys sure?"

Carmen nodded, "Take her, Len."

"Here Lenny," Bridget said, carefully handing Ellie to Lena.

Lena's eyes started to fill with tears as Ellie was placed in her arms for the first time. "Hello baby girl! I've been waiting to meet you for a very long time."

Bridget smiled widely, "How does she feel?"

"She feels wonderful." Lena replied, snuggling the baby close to her body.

Tibby placed her hand on Bridget's leg and squeezed it gently, "How do _you_ feel?"

Bridget thought for a moment, feeling as she had to reconnect her brain with the rest of her body, "Exhausted and really sore, but I'm so thrilled that she's here and healthy that nothing else matters."

Carmen winced a little at the thought of it all, "Sorry you're so sore, Bee."

Bridget waved her hand in dismissal, "She's absolutely worth every second of it. Speaking of being sore, how much did Rebecca say she weighs? I must have missed it in all the after birth excitement."

"She's six pounds, nine ounces and eighteen and a half inches long."

"You're a tiny little girl." Lena cooed softly to the baby in her arms.

"God, she felt more like twelve or thirteen pounds."

"I'm sure she…" Tibby started before being interrupted by the rings of her cell phone. "It's Eric!" she said before opening the phone and answering. "Hello?"

"_Hey Tibby, how is everything going?"_

"Everything's going really good, Eric."

"_Yeah, did Bee finally get her epidural? Things seem much quieter than the last time I talked to you. How much is she dilated?"_

"Why don't I just let you talk to her? I'm pretty sure she's feeling up to it." Tibby winked at Bridget.

"_Really? I'd love to talk to her."_

"Okay, here's Bee." Tibby said, handing Bridget the phone.

"Hello?" Bridget's tired voice came through the line.

"_Hey honey, how are you doing?"_

"I'm doing great."

"_Good, I guess that epidural is really helping you."_

"Nope," Bridget said, enjoying herself as she played another little game with Eric.

"_Nope? I don't really understand…" Eric said, sounding confused._

Bridget laughed softly, "She's here, Eric."

"_Our baby girl is here?"_

"She's here, all six pounds, nine ounces of her!"

Eric was quiet for a good minute before he spoke again, _"When? How? Last time I talked to Tibby you hadn't even had your epidural yet."_

"Well, it just kind of happened. A couple of minutes after you talked to Tibby, Dr. Grey came in and checked me and her head was right there. I pushed a couple of times and she was out."

Bridget smiled when she heard Eric laugh happily, _"Just like that?"_

"Well, there was a lot of screaming and crying and I think I may have hurt Lena's hand, but yeah, pretty much just like that."

"_How is she?"_ Bridget could hear Eric's excitement in his voice.

"She's absolutely perfect, she's got a good bit of blonde hair, blue eyes and she's just perfectly pink all over. She's just really gorgeous, but she seems to have somehow inherited Lena's big feet."

Eric laughed, _"Maybe she'll grow into them. She sounds exquisite, is Tibby sending me pictures?"_

"She is, just as soon as things calm down a bit."

"_How are you, Bee? You were in labor for what, fifteen hours?"_

"Yeah, about fifteen hours. I'm feeling pretty sore and tired, but other than that I'm fine.'

"_I'm so proud of you; I just wish I could have been there with you."_

"I know, so do I, but Lena, Tibs, and Carmen were wonderful and supportive and did exactly what I needed, so don't feel too bad."

"_You have really great friends."_

Bridget smiled, "I sure do."

"_I'm going to let you go so you can spend some time getting to know Ellie, okay?"_

"Okay, call back a little later once we've got settled in."

"_Give her a kiss from her daddy and tell her how much I love her."_

"I'll give her plenty of kisses from her daddy."

"_I love you so much, Bridget."_

"I love you too!" Bridget said, making a kissing noise into the phone before closing it and handing it to Tibby. Bridget leaned over slowly and kisses Ellie's cheek, "That's from your daddy."

"Was he thrilled?" Carmen asked.

"He was beyond thrilled, but I think he was in a little bit of shock."

"Probably so."

"Just wait until he sees this little face!" Lena said with a smile. "Okay Miss Ellie, I'm going to let you go visit with your Aunt Carmen now because if I don't I'll never put you down." She then carefully placed the Ellie in Carmen's arms.

"Hello, pretty girl!" Carmen cooed softly, "Bee, she's so sweet!"

"I'm going to go out in the hall and call our moms to let them know she's here before they lose their minds." Lena said standing. Once she was out in the hall she dialed a familiar number and waited for what seemed like forever. When an answering machine finally picked up, Lena sighed. "Hi Mr. Vreeland, it's Lena again. We're at the hospital and Bridget had your granddaughter about half an hour ago. They're both doing great and the baby is absolutely beautiful. Anyway, I was just thinking maybe you could stop by later this afternoon. I know it would mean a lot to Bridget. I know that you miss Marly and that you hurt more than anyone will ever understand, but your daughter deserves to have you in her life." Lena then hung up and dialed her own number. She was almost surprised when her mother picked up.

"_Lena?"_

"Hi mom!"

"_How is everything going?"_

"We have a baby!"

"_We have a baby, ladies!" _When Ari said this, Lena could hear Christina and Alice in the background chattering excitedly.

"When did Christina and Alice come over?"

"_I called them as soon as I got your message and we've been waiting anxiously ever since. So tell us everything!"_

"Bridget was her typical self and a superstar through the whole thing and the baby is just beautiful. She looks just like Bridget and she came into the world kicking and screaming."

"_What's her name and how much does she weigh?"_

"She's six pounds, nine ounces and you can find out her name just as soon as you come see her!"

"_Well that's no fair, but I guess we can wait a couple of hours."_

"Yes, you can."

"_Alright, well I'm sure you girls must be tired so we'll give you a few hours before we come. Tell Bridget we said congratulations and give her our love."_

"I will mom. We'll see you three in a couple of hours."

When Lena walked back into the room, Carmen was handing Ellie to Tibby.

"So you're the little one who has been kicking my hand for the past couple of months, it's nice to finally meet you!"

Carmen laughed, "You're silly, Tibs."

"Hey!" Bridget called once she noticed that Lena was back in the room. "Come sit again." She said patting the bed beside her.

"All the moms were together at my mom's house and they were beyond thrilled. They said to tell you congratulations, that they love you and that they would be by in a couple of hours to visit." Lena said as she settled back onto the bed next to Bridget.

Bridget smiled, "Good, I can't wait for her to meet her grandmothers."

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Rebecca came to take Ellie to the nursery not long after Lena finished making her calls. Lena accompanied the baby to the nursery while Carmen and Tibby helped Bridget get cleaned up and then moved to their new room. Lena returned half an hour later carrying a very clean Ellie in her arms.

Bridget grinned when she saw them come into the room. "There's my girl! Look how pretty you look, Aunt Lena got you all fixed up." Lena had dressed the baby in a pink onesie that had the word 'Brand New' written across it in rhinestones. "How'd she do?"

"Well, she's the picture of health and she loved her bath, but I think she's getting hungry."

"Let's see if I can fix that." Bridget said, slipping her gown off her shoulder and taking Ellie.

"Just brush her cheek with your finger, Bee, and she should start to root around and latch on." Tibby offered, remembering what she'd learned in nursing school. Sure enough, Ellie started nursing contently right away.

Tibby smiled, "She's a natural."

"I guess she loves to eat just like her mom." Bridget said, running her finger over Ellie's soft head. She suddenly found herself overcome with emotions and felt tears running down her cheek.

"What's wrong, Bee?" Lena asked, hugging Bridget the best she could.

Bridget shook her head, "She's just so incredible and I love her so much. I can't believe that I created her. It's all just a little overwhelming."

"It's completely natural to be feeling a little emotional right now, Bee." Carmen said, wiping some of the tears off Bridget's cheek with her hand.

"Carmen's right, you've got hormones going crazy in your body and you're beyond exhausted and probably need to eat something."

"I know."

"So," Tibby said, tucking a strand of Bridget's hair behind her ear. "What do you say I run and get you some breakfast and you can eat while Ellie eats and then you can get some sleep?"

Bridget nodded, "Okay, thanks Tibs."

"I'll be back."

Lena took Bridget's hand and squeezed it affectionately, "We love you, Bee."

"I love you guys too."

Tibby returned from the cafeteria with a huge tray full of food for all of them. Bridget fell asleep almost as soon as Ellie was finished eating, so Carmen quietly changed her diaper while Tibby send pictures to Eric and Lena worked on recording Ellie's birth on her baby pants. Soon, the lack of sleep started to catch up with Lena, Tibby, and Carmen, so they all settled in for a nap with Ellie. Bridget awoke from her nap a few hours later feeling a little disoriented and even more sore than she'd been before she went to sleep. She smiled when she looked into the corner of the room and saw Lena half asleep in the rocking chair with Ellie resting on her chest. Tibby and Carmen were squished together on the pull out bed. She slowly reached for the camera sitting on the table sitting beside the bed, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"That must be the moms." Lena mumbled sleepily.

"Come on in!" Bridget called. She found herself shocked and confused when the door opened and the person walked in.

"Hi, Bumble Bee."

"Daddy?"


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N: Yes, I'm alive! I am so terribly sorry that I haven't updated this story in over a year. I promise I never forgot about it, life just got in the way. I love you all and hope I still have some readers left out there! Over the next week I hope to go back and edit some of the older chapters. Nothing will be taken out, but stuff may be added. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this long awaited chapter. It was a labor of love. Please read and review!**

"_Come on in!" Bridget called in response to the knocking. She found herself shocked and confused when the last person in the world she was expecting walked in._

"_Hi, Bumble Bee."_

"_Daddy?"_

Tibby sat up from her place on the pull out bed and looked towards the door, "Oh, my God." Her statement was immediately met with a sharp jab in the ribs from Carmen's elbow.

"Tibs!" She hissed.

"Sorry!" Tibby whispered.

Mr. Vreeland stood awkwardly in the doorway, looking quite nervous and very unsure of his decision to visit.

Bridget blinked hard a few times and then cleared her throat, "Um, come on in, dad."

"Okay," Mr. Vreeland complied and walked over to the head of Bridget's bed. He placed a beautiful bouquet of Bridget's favorite flowers on the nightstand. "I brought these for you."

"Thank you, dad."

"Lena, Tibby, Carmen, nice to see you again." He greeted them politely.

Lena stood from the rocking chair, still cradling Ellie to her chest. "Hi, Mr. Vreeland," she said shyly, not quite meeting his eyes. The girls had long been on a first name basis with all their friends' parents, but Lena suspected that Franz would always be Mr. Vreeland to them all.

Tibby and Carmen rose from their seats too and walked closer to Bridget's bed. "We'll leave you guys alone for a little bit." Carmen said, giving Bridget's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Thanks," she smiled back.

"And I'll give you this back," Lena carefully shifted Ellie and placed her gently in her mother's waiting arms.

"Hi, baby." Bridget cooed softly, momentarily forgetting the tension filling the room.

Carmen leaned over and kissed the top of Bridget's head, "We'll be outside if you need us." Carmen started out of the room, and Lena followed. Tibby lingered behind, looking at Bridget.

"I'll be okay," she assured her, giving Tibby permission to leave.

Once Tibby closed the door, Bridget turned her attention to her father. "I'm sorry, this is just….new."

Mr. Vreeland looked down, "I know."

"I'm glad you came though."

"Me too," he smiled softly. Bridget noticed that he looked even more tired and lost than the last time she'd seen him.

They sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes before Bridget spoke again, "Dad, I'd like you to meet your granddaughter Ellie Grace." She lifted her elbow slightly to give her dad a better view of the sleeping baby.

"She's beautiful, Bridget." He smiled again, but this time it was a real honest to goodness smile. Bridget couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him smile like that. She knew it was at least before her mother died.

Bridget stroked Ellie's arm with her finger, "Do you want to hold her?"

"Are you sure?"

"Dad, don't be ridiculous. She's your granddaughter."

"Okay," Franz bent down to take Ellie from Bridget's arms. Ellie stirred slightly and let out a tiny squeak, "Shhh, it's alright." Franz said, bouncing the baby gently.

Bridget smiled, "Yeah, you're okay."

Ellie was quickly quieted by Franz's gentle movements, "It's been a very long time since I've held a newborn."

"I know it has."

Franz stared intently at Ellie's face, "She's one hundred percent you, Bridget."

"Really?" Bridget beamed, "That's what Tibby said too."

"It's like being in that delivery room twenty-two years ago all over again. She's a little bit heavier than you were though."

Bridget was surprised, her father had never been one to share stories about Bridget and Perry's youth. "I can't believe you still remember everything about that day."

"Oh, you never forget the day your children are born." He turned his attention from Ellie to Bridget. "So, you named her Ellie for…"

"Mom," Bridget confirmed. "Marlene Eleanor."

Franz nodded slowly. "Your mother would be very proud of you, Bumble Bee."

Bridget smiled sadly, trying to hold back the tears that were quickly welling in her eyes. "I hope so."

"She used to always talk about what a great mother you'd be."

Bridget sniffled, "Even when I was dragging my dolls through the dirt and Lena was chasing after me, telling me that was no way to treat a baby?"

"Even when you were dragging your dolls through the dirt, or using them as soccer goalies."

"I wish she were here to see Ellie. I miss her so much, daddy." Bridget whispered as her tears began to fall.

Franz took his free hand and wiped the tears of Bridget's cheek with his thumb. "I know you do, Bumble Bee." He gently placed Ellie in the bassinet beside Bridget's bed and then turned his attention back to his daughter. "She loved you very, very much."

Bridget wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand, trying to slow her quickly falling tears. "She did?"

"Oh, Bee, you and Perry made her life wonderful."

"Not wonderful enough for her to stay."

"Bridge, she was very sick."

Bridget nodded, "I know. I just wish that we could have been enough to make her want to stay. Maybe if I'd spent more time with her…"

"There isn't anything any one of us could have done to save her. It's taken me a very long time to realize that." Bridget nodded, her throat too clogged with tears to speak. Franz reached over and tenderly tucked her long hair behind her ears. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause you any pain today."

Bridget shook her head, "No, it's okay. It's good to remember her." She placed her hand over her father's. "We need to learn how to be sad about her together. Then maybe it won't be so hard."

"My little girl," Franz looked at Bridget's face sadly, "always being strong for her dad."

"It's okay, da…."

Franz cut her off, "No, it's not. Bridget, I'm sorry I wasn't a better father. I just didn't know what to do. I still don't really know what to do. You and Perry needed me to be there for you and I just couldn't. But I never stopped loving you."

"I know you didn't."

"Every time I looked at you, I saw your mother and it just hurt too much. I know that's no excuse. I understand if you can't forgive me, but I'd like to try and be a family again." Franz was looking, really looking at Bridget for the first time in a very long time.

"I'd like that too," she squeezed his hand, "Ellie deserves to know her grandpa."

"I agree, she does," Franz stood and kissed Bridget on the top of her head. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of her father's touch. It reminded her of her childhood. Just then, Ellie let out an annoyed squeak from her bassinet. Franz picked her up and handed her to Bridget.

"What's the matter, sugar?" She cooed to the baby as she situated her comfortably on top of her legs. "Do you want to get a better look at her?"

"Please," Her father nodded eagerly.

"Okay," Bridget carefully unwrapped Ellie from the pink blanket she was tightly swaddled in, revealing the baby's long legs.

"Oh, those are soccer legs! Those are _your_ soccer legs." He declared with a chuckle.

Bridget smiled, "That's what I thought too!"

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Lena paced nervously up and down the hall outside Bridget's hospital room.

Carmen looked up at her from where she was sitting on the floor. "Lenny, please sit. You're going to wear a hole in the floor."

"I'm just worried about Bee." Lena said, ignoring Carmen's request and continuing to pace.

"I know," Tibby said, taking Lena's hand and pulling her into a seated position on the floor beside her.

Lena sighed, "Do you think she's okay?"

Tibby shrugged, "Bee's dad has never been mean, just absent."

"And oblivious," Lena added.

"Well, yeah." Tibby agreed, "But new babies fix all sorts of horrible family problems. Maybe Ellie can help fix Bee's family."

"I just don't want anyone to hurt Bee. I hope I did the right thing by calling him."

"You called him?" Carmen asked, surprised.

Lena nodded, "Why?"

"I called him too. Twice."

Tibby snorted a laugh, "You too?" Lena asked.

"Mmm hmm, I sure did."

Carmen laughed, "I guess great minds really do think alike."

Lena smiled, "I guess Mr. Vreeland's answering machine really got a workout today."

"Maybe we broke the stupid thing and he'll be more inclined to actually answer the damn phone next time." Tibby said with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Tibs, be nice." Lena reminded her gently.

"I'll do my best." Tibby promised.

The three best friends sat in comfortable silence for a while before Carmen finally spoke again. "Hey, how do you think Bee's feeling today, about her mom and everything?"

Lena fiddled with a decoration on The Pants. "It's hard to tell. I'm sure she misses her and wishes she were still here."

"Yeah, but do you think she wants us to bring Marly up?"

"I don't know," Tibby said with a shrug. "Mrs. Graffman always told me that it made her feel better when people remembered Bailey. I guess we'll just have to listen to Bee. She's pretty good at letting us know what she needs, even if she doesn't say anything."

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Forty-five minutes, three crossword puzzles and four cups of coffee later, Franz emerged from his daughter's hospital room. Tibby, Carmen, and Lena all stood to greet him.

"Thank you all for reminding me how much I was missing out on." He said, smiling sincerely.

"You're welcome." Carmen said, returning his smile.

"And thank you for taking care of Bridget. She's very lucky to have friends like you."

Tibby smiled, "It's our pleasure. Really."

"Well," Franz said, turning to leave, "I'll let you three get back to her."

"Bye, Mr. Vreeland." Lena said with a wave.

He stopped and smiled slightly, "Please, call me Franz."

"Franz, huh?" Carmen said, expressing her shock once he was out of earshot.

"I told you babies can fix really awful family problems," Tibby said, nudging Carmen back towards the door into Bridget's room.

"Hey!" Bridget greeted her friends cheerfully as they walked back into the room. "I'm glad you're back. I think Ellie missed her aunts."

Carmen smiled, "Yeah? We missed her too."

"So," Tibby asked, sitting on the side of Bridget's bed, "You okay?"

Bridget nodded, "I really, really am."

Lena sat down on the other side of Bridget's bed, "Your dad asked us to call him Franz."

Bridget smiled, "Yeah, I think Ellie kind of melted him a little."

"Well, how could anyone resist that little face?" Carmen asked, joining her three friends on the bed. She turned her attention from Ellie when she heard knocking at the door.

"Okay, that must be our moms." Lena said.

"Come in," Bridget called. This time she was not surprised as Ari, Christina, and Alice filed into the room, their arms full of baby gifts.

"Hi, girls!" Christina said, dumping the gifts on the pull out sofa where her daughter had previously been napping. Ari and Alice followed her lead and deposited their gifts there too. They then walked over to Bridget's bed.

"Bridget, honey," Alice took Bridget's face into her hands and kissed her forehead. "Congratulations."

Ari hugged her gently, "We're so proud of you, sweetie."

"Now let's see that little girl of yours!" Alice demanded jokingly.

Bridget smiled, "I would like you all to meet Ellie Grace." She said, lifting her arm to give her friend's moms a good view of Ellie's face.

"Oh, Bridget," Ari said, dabbing her eyes with a tissue, "Lena was right, she's all you."

Bridget laughed, "Yeah, so I've been told."

"She's perfection." Alice agreed.

"Would you like to hold her?" Bridget asked.

"Are you kidding?" Christina laughed, "We already drew numbers on who gets to hold her first. I won."

"Well, here you go," Bridget said, carefully handing Ellie, who was now very awake, to Christina.

Alice studied the tired faces of the four girls, "You all look exhausted."

Tibby nodded, "Yeah, it was a long night."

"A very long night," Bridget agreed.

"Lena said you had her naturally? I was begging for an epidural before the big contractions even started!" Christina said, sounding both amazed and impressed.

"Oh," Bridget laughed, "believe me; I did not plan on having her naturally."

Carmen nodded, "Poor Bee, it was just too late to do the epidural."

"Well, at least Ellie isn't an unusually large baby." Ari kidded, nudging her daughter.

"Mom!" Lena whined.

"Darling, you were huge!"

Bridget laughed, "You were so huge your mom bent one of the floor boards at Gilda's!"

Lena pouted. "It's okay, Lenny. We still love you." Tibby said, wrapping her arms around Lena and squeezing her.

"That reminds me," Ari said, putting her hand on Bridget's shoulder. "Did you know that Lena was your very first visitor at the hospital after you were born?"

Bridget gasped, "Really?"

Ari nodded, "I was looking through some old pictures earlier today and found this." She pulled a picture out of her purse and handed it to Bridget. The picture was of a very new baby Bridget and Lena lying next to each other on Marly's hospital bed. They were both wrapped up like little baby burritos, totalyl oblivious to one another's presence.

"Aww, look at that!" Carmen cooed.

"Man, Lenny, you could have like, eaten Bridget back then." Tibby teased.

Lena rolled her eyes, "Very funny, Tibs."

Bridget grinned, still looking at the picture. "I can't believe you guys never told us about this before!"

Ari sighed, "I know, I can't believe it either. I guess it just kind of slipped my mind. But I remember your mother calling me from the hospital and telling me you and Perry had been born. Lena was fussy and I was getting a little stir crazy, so I loaded her up in the car and we came to visit.

"Our first play date!" Lena smiled.

Tibby put her arm around Carmen's shoulder, "Yeah, I can't believe you guys didn't invite us!" she said with faked annoyance.

"Um," Bridget poked Tibby's arm, "Maybe it's because you weren't born yet!"

"Fair enough." Tibby said with a laugh.

Alice looked at her watch, "Alright Tina, your time is up. Let me see that little pumpkin!"

Christina sighed, reluctant to give the cuddly baby up, "Okay," she said, kissing the top of Ellie's head before handing her over.

"You," Alice said softly to Ellie once she was in her arms, "are truly beautiful."

Bridget leaned back against her fluffy pillows and listened contently to the happy and excited chatter going on around her. She felt safe and warm in her hospital room, completely surrounded by people she loved. She knew that few things in life are certain, but was happy that she could guarantee Ellie's life would be filled to the brim with love.

"How are you feeling, Bee?" Lena asked, sitting back against the pillow beside Bridget so that their shoulders were touching.

Bridget smiled, "Really, really happy."

**A/N: Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It was quite difficult to write! Please read and review. I promise not to make you wait so long for the next chapter!**


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N: So, this chapter took me longer than I planned. Not nearly as long as last time though! I hope you all enjoy, and please keep reading and remember to review! Your reviews are what keep me going!**

_Seven year old Bridget ran through a darkened house, searching for her brother Perry, while thunder clapped outside. "Perry?" She called out, "Where are you? Come on, this isn't funny anymore. Stop hiding." _

"_Bridget," she could hear him calling, "Come find me!"_

"_I can't, I've looked all over and I don't know where you are." Bridget called back, the panic in her voice quickly rising. "I want mommy." _

"_Bee," Perry's voice haunted her, "I need you."_

"_I can't find you on my own," Bridget cried. "I need mommy's help. I'm going to go get her." Bridget ran to the door leading to her parent's bedroom, but when she opened it, no one was there._

"_Mommy, where are you?" Just as Bridget thought she couldn't possibly feel any more scared, she heard an extremely loud clap of thunder and her house went dark. She sunk down against the wall in her parent's bedroom and cried. "Where is everybody?" she called out in desperation. "I can't do this by myself. I'm not brave enough."_

"_Help me, Bridget." Perry's voice pleaded, over and over again, while his sister sat crying. Suddenly, the pleas of the young boy morphed into the soft cries of an infant. Driven by curiosity, Bridget dried her tears and began searching through the house for the baby. She looked everywhere, but couldn't find the baby either. She couldn't find anyone. It occurred to her, as she sat back down in the hallway, that maybe everyone else in her house knew exactly where they were and that she was the one who was lost._

"Bee?" Someone was holding her hand. She gasped and startled awake. Her eyes focused on Lena's delicate face, almost completely swallowed up by her concerned eyes. "Hey," Lena whispered tenderly, "you were having a bad dream."

Bridget swallowed hard and nodded. "What time is it?"

"It's almost three in the morning."

As the fog of sleep lifted from her brain and she looked beyond Lena into her hospital room, she noticed Carmen standing behind Lena, gently bouncing a crying Ellie. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine, I think she's just ready to eat," Carmen said.

Bridget began unbuttoning her nightgown. She had never exactly been miss modesty, but her pregnancy and the birth of Ellie had made her even less modest around her three best friends. "Here," she said, extending her arms, "let me see her."

"Let's go see mommy and get you fed," Carmen said as she placed Ellie in her mother's waiting arms. Bridget winced slightly at the weight of the baby in her arms.

"You need some help, Bee?" Bridget heard Tibby ask from the other side of her bed.

"I'm just really sore," she replied, focusing most of her attention on getting Ellie to latch on to her breast.

"Yeah, well, you had a baby less than 24 hours ago. Here," Tibby said, taking the still fussing baby from Bridget's arms and laying her on the bed. "This should help." She carefully positioned the nursing pillow Bridget had received at her shower around Bridget's still swollen abdomen and then placed Ellie back in her mother's arms.

"There she goes," Lena exclaimed once Ellie had starting eating.

Bridget sighed in relief and let her head fall back against the pillow, "Thanks, Tibs."

"That's what I'm here for, Bee."

"So….." Carmen started, sitting on the edge of Bridget's hospital bed.

"Are you alright?" Lena finished her sentence for her.

"Yeah," Bridget said, absently stroking Ellie's soft head with her hand. "It was just a bad dream."

Lena tucked a strand of Bridget's long hair behind her ear, "You want to tell us about it?" She pushed gently for information.

Bridget shrugged and looked down at Ellie as she nursed, "I was a little girl and I was in my house and I couldn't find anyone. Not Perry, not my mom, not my dad. I was all alone."

"Oh, Bee," Carmen hummed, sympathy filling her voice. "We're here for you."

"I know you are," she said, looking up and smiling slightly.

"You had a really big day yesterday," Tibby said, sitting beside her in the bed and putting her arm around Bridget's shoulder. "What with the baby and your dad visiting, not to mention all the hormones you've got running through you right now."

Bridget nodded, "It's all just a little overwhelming."

Tibby tilted her head to the side so it was touching Bridget's, "I know it is, Bridge."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Lena asked.

"You guys just being here helps, more than you'll ever know."

"Well," Carmen said, placing her hand on Bridget's shin in a sign of affection, "we aren't going anywhere."

Later, after Carmen had settled Ellie back into her bassinet and she and Tibby had returned to their places on the pull out bed, Lena sat with Bridget in the quiet hospital room.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep, Bee." She suggested.

"I guess I probably should," Bridget agreed, resting her head against the pillow. "Hey, Lenny?" she asked, extending her hand to Lena.

Lena took her hand, "Yeah?"

"Promise you'll stay right here with me while I sleep?"

"I promise, Bee."

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Bridget awoke later that morning to the sound of giggles and soft whispers in the corner of her hospital room. Instead of opening her eyes and joining in on the commotion, Bridget was perfectly content to lie still and listen to her three best friends.

"Shhhh," she heard Carmen warn, "Don't wake up Bee."

"Sorry," Tibby whispered. "Here's your coffee, Lenny."

"Thanks, Tibs."

Bridget listened to their quiet conversation for a few minutes more, before they were interrupted by Ellie's soft baby grunts.

"Good morning, Miss Ellie Belly." She heard Lena coo to the baby. "You are now officially 24 hours old, how does it feel?" Ellie made one of her cute baby squeaks in response and Bridget heard her friends laugh softly.

"You are the cutest baby ever. And I'm not just saying that because you're my niece." Carmen whispered.

"Hey," Bridget croaked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Hi," Lena said happily.

Bridget looked over at Lena, who was sitting in the rocking chair by her bed and contently snuggling Ellie. "You sat there all night, didn't you?"

"Mmm hmm," Lena hummed quietly.

"Oh, Lenny, you didn't have to."

"I wanted to."

"Morning, Bee." Tibby said, walking to the side of Bridget's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, just sore," she looked over and Lena and Ellie, "How'd she do after I fed her last night?"

"She did great, she slept really well." Lena replied, not taking her eyes off the baby in her arms.

Bridget smiled, "Good."

"Are you hungry?" Carmen asked Bridget. "I picked up breakfast from that little bakery we love. I even got you some decaf coffee."

"I would love some breakfast, Carmabelle," She smiled at her three friends. God, she loved them. She loved them for hovering, she loved them for mothering her, she loved them for being there, and most of all she loved them for being 'them'.

"Do you want a blueberry muffin or a chocolate chip one?"

Bridget thought for a minute, "Um, blueberry please."

"Here," Carmen said, handing Bridget a plate with a muffin and some fruit salad on it.

"It's delicious," Bridget said after taking a bite, "much better than hospital food."

Tibby raised her eyebrow, "This coming from the girl who likes airplane food?"

Bridget laughed, "I know, I know, I have no right to hate on hospital food."

"No, you're right. It's disgusting." Carmen agreed.

Lena crinkled up her nose, "I think hospital food tastes much better than airplane food."

"Really?" Bridget asked in surprise.

Lena nodded, "Really."

Just then, the girls' odd choice of breakfast conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come in," Bridget called.

"Good morning, Bridget." Dr. Grey said, walking into the room.

"Hi, Dr. Grey."

"I just wanted to come check on you two. How are you feeling?"

"Sore," Bridget answered honestly.

Dr. Grey smiled, "I'd be concerned about you if you weren't sore. We can give you a little something for it, if you'd like."

Bridget nodded, "That might be nice."

"Well," Dr. Grey said, flipping through the chart on the end of Bridget's bed, "Everything still looks wonderful with you. You're blood pressure and temperature are fine." She placed her hands on Bridget's swollen belly and pushed gently.

"Ouch," Bridget winced, reaching for Tibby's hand to squeeze.

"Sorry," Dr. Grey apologized, "And your uterus is nice and firm like it should be. Ellie's doing great too. She's eating like she should and she passed all her newborn screening tests."

"So, when can we go home?" Bridget asked hopefully.

Dr. Grey sighed, "Well, I usually like to get at least a 48 hour stay out of my patients, but if you're both still doing well in the late afternoon, we can talk about discharging you this evening. Especially considering you'll have so much help at home."

"We'll take really good care of them," Tibby added.

"I know you will," Dr. Grey said with a smile.

"Thank you, Dr. Grey."

"You rest up, Bridget."

Bridget smiled, "I will."

"I'll be back later to check on you again," Dr. Grey said before leaving the room.

"Wow, home this evening." Carmen stated after Dr. Grey left.

Bridget nodded, "That would be so nice. I'm ready to take her home."

"I bet Monday afternoon when we got back from your appointment with Dr. Grey you never imagined you'd be bringing a baby home by Wednesday evening." Lena said with a smile.

Bridget laughed, "Monday afternoon I wasn't even sure I'd ever give birth to her, much less bring her home!"

"It's all really amazing," Tibby agreed.

Lena nodded and looked down at Ellie, who had turned her head towards Lena's chest and started sucking on her shirt. "Um, Bee, I think she's hungry," she said laughing.

"Awww," Bridget laughed, "Come here, baby."

Just as soon as Bridget got Ellie nursing contently, Tibby's cell phone began to buzz its way across the table. "It's Eric," Tibby said, handing the phone to Bridget.

"Hello?" Bridget said, doing her best to hold the phone to her ear without disrupting Ellie's meal.

"_Hi, Bee," _Eric sounded sleepy_, "how are you?"_

Bridget laughed, "That seems to be the question of the day. I'm fine, just really sore."

"_And how's our beautiful little girl?" _Eric asked proudly.

"She's even more beautiful than she was yesterday. She's eating right now."

"_I can't wait to meet her."_

"I know. We want to see you so bad."

"_I know you do,"_ Eric said, guilt clogging his throat, "_I'll be home just as soon as I can."_

"Dr. Grey says if things are still going well this afternoon that we can go home."

"_Really, that soon?" _Eric sounded surprised.

"Yep," Bridget said, struggling to divide her attention between Ellie and the phone call.

"_Well, I guess it's good news all around then. We won our game!"_

"Oh, Eric, that's wonderful!" Bridget said happily.

Eric laughed, _"The guys say Ellie must be good luck."_

Bridget smiled, "Maybe you'll have to rub her head before all your games."

"_I might just do that. Bee, I'm going to let you go feed Ellie, but I'll talk to you soon."_

"Okay, Eric. I love you."

"_I love you too. Send everyone else my love."_

"I will." Bridget closed the phone and handed it back to Tibby. "That was your daddy, little girl." Bridget said, smiling down at Ellie as she nursed.

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"I just want to pick her up and cover her in kisses," Lena exclaimed. It was early afternoon and they were all sitting on Bridget's bed looking at Ellie.

"I know, she's so precious," Carmen agreed, tickling the bottom of Ellie's foot.

"I love how she's got her legs and arms scrunched up to her body because that's how she was in the womb." Tibby gently pulled one of Ellie's arms away from her body and she pulled it back in immediately.

Bridget laughed, "She hasn't learned she's got room to stretch out yet."

"She's got long legs just like you, Bee." Carmen observed.

"I know. No wonder she kicked so much. It's so strange to not have her in here anymore," she rested her hand on her belly. "I sort of miss all that kicking."

"Maybe you and Eric will have another soon," Lena suggested with a smile.

Bridget laughed, "Let me just get this one home first, Lenny."

"Did you hear that, Ellie? Your Aunt Lena is already trying to saddle you with a little brother or sister," Tibby joked, touching Ellie's nose with her index finger.

"I just can't get over how insanely in love I am with her," Bridget said, staring into her daughter's tiny, perfect face.

"I know, you look at that little face and everything in the world is right." Tibby's mind automatically flashed to Mr. and Mrs. Graffman, and she felt an intense sadness that they'd lost their own precious little girl who made everything in the world right.

"Well," Carmen said, "I think it's safe to say someone has the four off us wrapped very tightly around her little finger."

Lena stoked Ellie's soft, blonde hair. "Just look at her, she's too impossibly cute to not get what she wants!"

Just then there was a soft knocking at the door. "Come on in," Bridget called out. She looked up to see who was there and was beyond surprised to see the tall, lanky figure walk into her room.

"Hey, Beezy."

"Perry?" Bridget questioned, a smile coming to her face.

"Perry?" Tibby repeated the question, equally as shocked as Bridget was. The boy who had hardly left his room since Marly died and only spoke to his twin sister when she demanded it had not only come to the hospital to visit his niece, but had come bearing gifts? Sure enough, there stood Perry, a pink teddy bear in his arms.

"Hi, Perry," Lena and Carmen greeted him.

"Hi Lena, Tibby, Carmen," he greeted them all with a shy wave.

"Come here," Bridget motioned for him to come out of the doorway and to her bedside. When Perry reached her, he stood awkwardly for a moment, unsure of what his next move should be. Then, he leaned down and wrapped Bridget in a gentle hug.

"So, I hear I have a niece," he said, while Bridget continued to squeeze him.

"You do," she said, finally releasing him from the hug. "This is Ellie Grace," she motioned to Ellie, who was lying contently on the bed in front of her.

"So only one this time, huh?" Perry joked. Fraternal twins ran in their family.

Bridget laughed, "Only one."

"She's really pretty, Bee." Perry said, rubbing Ellie's arm with his index finger.

"Do you want to hold her?"

Perry nodded and gently picked Ellie up from the bed. Bridget was surprised by how capable he seemed with her, and Ellie settled comfortably into his arms. "She's light."

"Yeah, she's a little peanut," she said with a smile. She watched her brother take in all of Ellie's features with his eyes. "I'm really glad you came, Perry."

"Me too," he paused, "I think it was time."

Bridget nodded in agreement, "I dreamed about you last night."

"I dreamed about you too," Perry confessed.

"Really?" Bridget asked. So maybe all that time they spent together in their mother's womb had connected them in some way they hadn't realized before. "You look really good, Perry," she told him. A thousand times better than he'd looked the last time she'd seen him.

He smiled shyly, "I'm trying to get my life in order."

"I'm proud of you," she said, taking his free hand and squeezing it affectionately.

Watching the exchange between Bridget and Perry, with Bee's glowing light and Perry's shy and reserved ways, Lena couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if things had been different. What if Marly had made friends with three moms due to deliver baby boys in September and they'd become fast friends? Would Perry have been saved from drifting away after Marly's death, and would Bridget have been lost instead? Had having three best friends to constantly worry and fuss over her saved Bridget from falling as far as Perry had? Lena wondered if they'd really saved Bridget at all, or if she was, deep down, just as lost as Perry was. She wondered if Bridget was simply lost in a different way from her twin.

"Dad came to see her yesterday," Bridget told him.

Perry nodded, "He told me."

"We're going to try to fix our family," she said quietly. "For us and for Ellie. It won't be easy, but it'll be worth it. Do you think you're up for it?"

Perry looked down at the tiny baby resting in his arms, "Oh yeah, I think I'm up for it." And with that, Perry stopped being the little boy who was lost, and became the brother Bridget found.

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"Lenny, can you hand me the baby Pants?" Bridget asked. It was early in the evening and Bridget and Ellie had been cleared by Dr. Grey to go home.

"Here," she said, tossing them to Bridget.

"Alright, little girl," Bridget said to Ellie as she began to slip the Pants on up the baby's legs. "This is a very big moment. You are about to experience something magic."

"Wait," Carmen said, "let me get a picture." Carmen snapped numerous pictures of the big moment as Bridget put the Pants on Ellie.

"Perfect fit," Lena commented.

Bridget beamed, "I think she looks even cuter with the baby Pants on, if that's at all possible."

"Totally, they're perfect for her first big trip home!" Carmen said as she continued to take pictures of her niece.

"I still think you should test the Pants magic and wear them home tonight, Bee." Tibby said, waving them in front of Bridget's face.

"No thanks, I think I'll stick to my sweats tonight." Bee said with a laugh. "I don't trust them to fit just yet. I'll try them when I'm a little less swollen.

Tibby folded the Pants lovingly and laid them at the end of the bed, "If you insist."

"What do you think, Ellie, are you ready to get out of here?" Bridget asked, picking up her daughter and resting the baby on her shoulder.

"Sounds like I got here just in time to take my girls home."

"Eric?" Bridget squealed excitedly at the sound of his voice. She looked towards the door, and there he was, looking more handsome than the last time she saw him. God, he was gorgeous. Before she knew it, he was kissing her. "Hi," she whispered happily when their kiss ended.

He stroked her hair, "Hi, Bee." He leaned over and kissed the back of Ellie's head gently.

"Eric, I'd like you to meet our daughter," she shifted the baby from her shoulder and placed her in Eric's waiting arms.

"Hey, little girl," he cooed softly, trying to hide the tears that were forming in his eyes. "I'm your daddy." Ellie squeaked, making Eric laugh. "Bee, she's incredible. You did such a good job."

"So you're saying I'm a good baby maker?" Bridget said with a smile.

"I'm saying you're an excellent baby maker." Eric said, before leaning over to kiss Bridget again.

Bridget laughed happily, "She's half yours, you know."

"She may be half mine, but she's all you." He said, not taking his eyes off of Ellie.

"You guys do make beautiful babies," Lena commented quietly.

Eric flashed a friendly smile at Lena, Tibby, and Carmen, "Hi, ladies."

"Sit," she said, patting the bed beside her. "I can't believe you're here."

"The coach told me to come home and see my family. I have to go back in a few days though."

Bridget put her hand on his leg, "That's okay, you're here now." She leaned over and kissed him again.

"You look beautiful, Bee."

She rolled her eyes and smiled, "I know you're lying to make me feel better, but thank you."

"It's not a lie," Eric said. "I've never seen you look more beautiful in all the years I've known you."

"Well, thank you. You don't look so bad yourself," she said with a wink.

"After all that time I spent on the flight? Now you're the one who's lying." Eric teased.

"It's true!"

"Mmm hmm," he said, bouncing Ellie gently in his arms. "So, you ready to go home?"

Bridget nodded, "Yeah, let's take our daughter home.

**A/N: I'd love to reach 365 reviews with this chapter. If you read this and enjoy it, please take the time to let me know! Also, if there is something you'd like to see in the future, let me know too. I can't make any promises, but we'll see.**


	19. Epilogue

**A/N: Once again, same old story. I'm sorry this chapter took so long, but I was away from my computer for the entire summer. Anyway, please read and review. I really hope you enjoy this!**

"I still can't believe we made her," Eric said, marveling over the tiny baby girl resting on his legs. In the three hours since they'd been home from the hospital, Eric had been completely absorbed in getting to know Ellie.

Bridget grinned, "She's pretty spectacular isn't she?"

"Just like her mama," Eric said, leaning over to plant a gentle kiss on Bridget's lips. They were snuggled together in Bridget's bed, enjoying the newness of their little family.

When Eric pulled away to end the kiss, Bridget caught the back of his neck with her hand and held his face inches from her own, "Thanks for coming to be with us."

"There's no where else in the world I'd rather be right now than with my girls," Eric replied, looking deep into her eyes.

Bridget released her hold on Eric's neck and rested her head on his shoulder, her soft blonde hair tickling his neck. "Can you believe this all started at a little soccer camp in Mexico?" She asked, gazing at Ellie as she slept.

"I really can't. I never would have thought we'd end up with a baby, after all we went through. She was quite a big surprise."

"A wonderful surprise," Bridget whispered softly, reaching over to stroke Ellie's hair.

"The best surprise ever," he said, kissing the top of Bridget's head.

"Without a doubt," Bridget agreed. Just then, Ellie woke up from her peaceful slumber and began to cry. She cried softly at first, but her cries quickly escalated to full on screaming. Eric looked at Bridget panicked, unsure of what to do to comfort their baby.

"Do you think she's hungry?" he asked.

Bridget shook her head, "I don't think so."

"You hold her, she knows you better," he said, offering Bridget the baby.

"She knows her daddy too," Bridget insisted gently. "Here, rest her on your chest so she can hear your heartbeat. That's probably all she wants." Bridget placed her hands under Eric's and guided Ellie up to where her ear was lying right against Eric's chest. The baby settled down almost immediately.

"It worked!" Eric said, sounding both surprised and relieved.

Bridget patted Ellie's back gently, "All she wanted was something that sounded familiar. It can be pretty loud and scary out here in the world, huh little girl?" Eric smiled broadly at Bridget as he watched her interacting with their daughter. "What?" Bridget asked with a smile once she caught him looking at her.

"You're a natural."

"You're not so bad yourself. Look at her, she fits perfectly, right there."

Eric nodded, "She's a perfect fit." They sat like that for a while, Ellie resting on her father's chest and looking into her mother's eyes, Eric and Bridget enjoying just being in the same bed, together as a family of three for the first time ever. Eric finally broke the silence, "Can you take her for a minute? I'll be right back."

"Sure," Bridget said, extending her arms to hold her daughter. "Come see mommy, baby doll."

"Don't go anywhere" Eric warned as he left the room.

Bridget laughed, "We won't." She looked down at Ellie, who was studying her mother's face intently. "God, you're beautiful. No wonder daddy is head over heels in love with you. You're only the most perfect baby in the world, and I'm not just saying that because you came out of me." Ellie cooed as Bridget spoke to her, causing Bridget to laugh, "Is that so, huh?" Just then, Eric came back into the room and crawled back into bed. "Daddy's back!"

Eric took Bridget's face in his hands and kissed her on the lips.

"What was that for?" Bridget asked.

"Thanks for making me a daddy."

Bridget swallowed hard, trying to fight back the tears that were welling in her eyes, "It was my pleasure. Thank you for making me a mommy."

Eric took Bridget's left hand in his, "I was wondering if you would think about making me a husband as well." He asked, slipping a large diamond ring onto her finger. "I know it will be crazy, with the baby and trying to plan a wedding and me traveling with the soccer team. But I love you Bridget Ann Vreeland, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you…"

"Yes!" Bridget said before Eric could even finish his sentence. "A million times, yes!"

"Yeah?" Eric asked happily. He kissed her passionately on the lips and could taste her salty tears as she cried, overcome with joy.

"You hear that, baby girl?" Bridget asked Ellie. "Mommy and daddy are getting married!"

--

Early the next morning, Bridget walked around the kitchen, gently bouncing Ellie with one arm while she drank her decaf coffe.

"Morning," Lena said coming into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Lenny." Bridget greeted her friend with a smile.

Lena cupped Ellie's head with her hand, "How was Miss Ellie Belly's first night at home?"

"Good, she only got up twice to eat."

"Really, she only got up twice?" Lena sounded surprised.

"Yeah, she's a champion sleeper." Bridget said with a nod.

"She must get that from Tibby."

Bridget laughed, startling Ellie, "She must!"

"So how are you?" Lena asked, studying Bridget's tired but happy face.

"Really good, Lenny," she said, positioning Ellie on her shoulder and patting her back gently.

"Oh, my God!" Lena squealed when she noticed the diamond ring on Bridget's finger. "Bee, you got engaged!"

"I got engaged," Bridget squealed back quietly, so not to disturb her daughter.

"Oh," Lena exclaimed, embracing both Bridget and Ellie in a tight squeeze, "I'm so happy for you!"

"What's all the commotion about?" Carmen asked, shuffling into the kitchen with Tibby following close behind her.

"Bee's getting married," Lena said, bouncing excitedly.

"AH," Carmen screamed, hugging Bee. "Congratulations!"

"About damn time," Tibby teased lovingly. She then embraced Bridget in a hug and kissed her temple, "Congratulations, sweetie."

"So," Carmen said, "Let us see that gorgeous ring!"

Bridget extended her hand so Carmen and the others could see.

"Eric has good taste!" Lena said.

"He sure does," Bridget agreed, "but I would have said yes if he'd used a ring out of a Cracker Jacks box!"

Carmen smiled, "Who would have thought our little Bee would turn out to be such a romantic?"

Tibby watched her three best friends and their excited, hyper chattering. She studied Bridget's face for any hint of fear or nervousness. Tibby hated change, and she expected everyone else around her to be totally freaked out by it as well. But looking at her friend's face, Tibby saw nothing but pure love, joy and excitement. Tibby wondered how Bee could embrace the changes in her life with such confidence and ease. After all, three days ago Bridget hadn't even been in labor with Ellie and Eric had been half way across the world. And now, here Bridget was, standing in their kitchen with her newborn daughter and an engagement ring on her finger. That much change in such a short amount of time would have driven Tibby to hide under a table. But not Bee, she stood strong and happy as her world change around her. Tibby looked at Bridget's face and knew she was truly happy, and that made Tibby happy.

Bridget gently elbowed Tibby in the side, "What are you thinking about?"

Tibby shook her head and smiled, "Nothing, just admiring the force of nature that is Bee Vreeland."

Bridget smiled, "I love you too, Tibs."

"Alright," Lena interrupted, "I've been awake a whole fifteen minutes, I need my baby fix!"

Bridget laughed, "Ellie, go see your Aunt Lena. She can't resist your cuteness any longer." She handed the baby to Lena.

"Who wants breakfast? I'm making pancakes!" Carmen asked from the stove. Her question was met by a chorus of three 'I do's!'.

Bridget smiled contently as she watched Lena and Tibby play with Ellie and Carmen work in the kitchen. She knew that no matter how much their lives changed around them, no matter how many new and wonderful people entered into their lives for them to love, that this would always stay the same. It had always been the four of them against the world, ever since those fateful pregnancy aerobics classes at Gilda's. Bridget took great comfort in knowing that they would always be there for her, no matter how much everything else changed. They were her rocks, her constant sources of support who would see her through anything. They were the Septembers, and nothing could ever change that.

**A/N: Okay y'all, that wraps it up for this story. I really hope you enjoyed it! I know I promised more, but I felt like it was time to end this one. Don't worry; I'm already tossing around lots of ideas in my head for a sequel that will find all the girls facing huge life changes. This story was about Bee, and I'd really like to explore the other three girls as well. If you enjoyed this and would like more, please read and review. Thank you for supporting me through all these years!**


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